Wow, what a night. Never ever thought I'd see them in concert (ok, I
hoped since this spring I would) and then they appear as they've just
took a short break between two albums and have never been busy with
anything different ? and get away with it!
Sure, there was a bit of nostalgia floating around: all the fishnet
tights, leather pants & mascara-clad people dressed in red, black
and gold. Memories of the best parts (and parties) of the 80's
immediately came back, when Soft Cell were around and always added to
the celebration atmosphere.
Cologne has always been a Marc Almond stronghold, therefore it wasn't a
surprise to see the hall well-packed. However, there was just enough
space for everybody to dance, scream and sing along.
Cheekily, Soft Cell opened with "Memorabilia," and continued with "Mono
Culture," and "Heat," before gliding through a healthy mixture of
classic hits "Youth," "Bedsitter," and "Torch." New (yet unreleased)
songs included "Divided Soul," "Last Chance," "Somebody, Somewhere,
Sometime," and the gorgeous "God Shaped Hole" from the latest Some
Bizarre compilation. Marc Almond even forgot some lines to this one,
but the band played on as he tried the best to catch up with Dave Ball
under bursts of laughter about his messing up.
The audience was thrilled and overwhelmed to see these songs performed
so passionately even if most failed to sing loud enough when Marc gave
them their chance to. The show was accompanied by cool lightning and
perfect mixing desk duties. Soft Cell easily managed to keep themselves
distanced from dependence on yester-year's glorifications or beloved
memories. Of course they played "Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go?"
(the ticket even stated this as 'The Tainted Love Tour') but for
attendees still not knowing more about Soft Cell, they made it not
easy. "The Art Of Falling Apart" and "The Best Way To Kill" (which
Almond said "probably reflects best how I really felt during the
eighties") were welcomed nearly equally enthuiastic. The first encore
?naturally- had to be the unforgettable "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye,"
while a second included "Martin" and "Sex Dwarf", thus ending the
concert with loads of screaming fans and the promise to return next
year...
All the difficulties Dave Ball had in the early days performing live
seem to be blown away through his experiences with The Grid and it was
a pleasure to see them both performing and enjoying it at least as much
as the audience. As both of them waved goodbye with a big smile on
their faces they had once more underlined that Soft Cell always stood
on their own terms. It was a perfect night out and I wish I could share
some of the power and the passion it gave me with you.
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