...and I still am, Mr. Andy Bell, after seeing you live in concert at The Forum in Bath on Tuesday 13th May!
I'll be honest, I had no expectations for the show. Firstly, and I feel terrible for saying this, but my primary reason for being there was the support act (more on that tomorrow). I'd heard a couple of singles from your current solo album Ten Crowns, but I hadn't rushed out to buy it.
Secondly, we've got history on the gig front. I saw Erasure at the Colston Hall in Bristol on Sunday 1st May 1988 as a 'swap' with my friend; he came with me to see Siouxsie & the Banshees, I came with him to see you. And I was a little underwhelmed, if I'm brutally frank.
Thirdly, I wasn't particularly an Erasure fan back in the day. I bought the early 12" singles, but I was already losing ground by the time of The Innocents and pretty much lost track of what you and Vince were up to during the 1990s and 2000s. That said, I've had plenty of time to catch up and reappraise since.
But, I went in with an open mind and an open heart. And, less than 90 minutes later, both were crammed full with light and sound and energy (Hi-NRG, more like) and love and joy.
Despite the full-on club feel of the Ten Crowns singles, I was intrigued by the stage set up, more so when the 4-piece band took up position before you. Picking up on your mid-set introductions, I discovered they were Nashville duo Steele Fountain aka Hailey Steele (vocals and guitar) and Jerry Fuentes (guitar and vocals), Sarah Tomek (drums) and über producer Dave Audé (keyboards & everything else), who co-wrote and produced Ten Crowns.
I'd never heard of Steele Fountain and I only knew Dave Audé from a few remixes of New Order, Goldfrapp, Dubstar, Sparks and U2 in my music collection. So, my curiosity was piqued.
You made a typically low key entrance of course, in a bright red glittery 2-piece suit and shades. leaping straight into Breaking Thru The Interstellar, the opening song of your album. Being the penultimate UK date, it was immediately clear that you and the band have honed these songs on the road. Yes, still very much aimed at the dancefloor but your band gave the music real heft. And your voice was in very fine form indeed.
Halfway through the first song and I thought, "What the heck am I doing, sitting back here in the stalls?". My second thought was an action and before I knew it, I was in the side aisles, closer to the front and dancing. Very badly, I'll admit, but don't mistake ineptitude for lack of passion. I was committed.
Yes, of course you have a solo album to promote, Andy, but you also realised that the audience were predominantly here for Erasure's greatest hits and you didn't disappoint. Songs two and three were Blue Savannah and Sometimes, and the pattern of one new/two classics more or less continued throughout the set.
You soon ditched the shades and jacket. "Do you like my suit?", you asked us. "It's recycled from all that plastic floating in the ocean", giving the sleeve a scrunch close to the mike, which seemed to set off a cluster in the MAMP (middle-aged mosh pit) at the front. One woman had already had a leg up onto the stage to give you a hug and snog and it looked like there were dozens more who would have leapt up there themselves, if stage height and arthritic knees weren't an obstacle.
But sod the creaking joints (mine included), everyone was having a great time. A really great time!
A few more songs from Ten Crowns came with Don't Cha Know, Godspell and Heart's A Liar, the latter a duet with Hailey Steele, replacing Debbie Harry on the studio version. They all sat comfortably with the interspersed clutch of stone cold killers in Drama!, Chains Of Love and Love To Hate You. And then we were at the mid-point of the set. Already!
You went off stage for a breather. leaving Steele Fountain to perform a cover of another Erasure single, Breathe (I see what you did there, Mr. Bell). Hailey and Jerry had nicely complementary vocals and it was a nice version, but the detour into Nashville was a strange turn, given what came before and would follow after. It was just... well, nice.
And you came back on for the second half of the set. From my experience 36 years ago, I'd half expected a costume change. There wasn't one, but neither was there any change in the pace and the energy of the performance. It was hard to believe that you'd celebrated your 61st birthday only a few weeks ago.
You started off with Always, one of the few 1990s Erasure songs that I knew from back in the day and one of my favourite of your greatest hits. The live version did the song justice and your voice soared through the notes.
"Why did Vince always write the songs so high?!" you reminisced,. "I don't know if I'll be able to get there now". But you did, wonderfully.
Unexpectedly, you followed this with the only non-album, non-Erasure song of the night. Perhaps less unexpectedly, it was a vibrant, faithful cover of Xanadu, though definitely leaning more heavily into Olivia Newton-John than the Electric Light Orchestra.
You sang three more songs from Ten Crowns but it was also time for the real heavyweights from your back catalogue and another trio of personal favourites: Victim Of Love, Chorus and Oh L'Amour.
In true showbiz fashion, you and the band left the stage. We all knew you were coming back, though we screamed and cheered and clapped all the same.
Ten Crowns' closing song Thank You came first and then - and really, what else could it have been? - you brought the night to an end with A Little Respect. You joined hands with the band, took your bows and said farewell for the last time.
1) I knew the words to every Erasure song that was played tonight, and sang along to them all;
2) My T-shirt was drenched in sweat, from dancing non-stop;
3) It was bloody cold outside! and
4) I'd had a truly incredible night.
Thank you, Mr. Andy Bell. You and your band were brilliant and I am so, so glad that I came to see your show. I will never forget it.
Yours truly,
Khayem (age 54 ½)
Note on today's Dubhed selection:
I've included the full setlist below, but today's selection is made up of 12" mixes of the Erasure songs only, in the sequence that they were performed on the night. You can find Ten Crowns in all the usual places.
1) Breaking Thru The Interstellar
2) Blue Savannah (Razormaid Mix) (Re-Edited By Art Maharg) (1992)
3) Sometimes (Shiver Mix By Rico Conning) (1986)
4) Don't Cha Know
5) Drama, Act Two (Hung Jury CD Edit By Steve Smith) (1990)
6) Heart's A Liar (ft. Hailey Steele)
7) Chains Of Love (The Unfettered Mix By Shep Pettibone) (1988)
8) Godspell
9) Love To Hate You (LFO Modulated Filter Mix By Mark Saunders) (1992)
10) Breathe (When Andy Bell Met Manhattan Clique Extended Remix) (2005)
11) Always (Extended Mix By Martyn Ware & Phil Legg) (1994)
12) Xanadu (Cover of Olivia Newton-John & ELO)
13) For Today
14) Victim Of Love (Vixen Vitesse Mix - Viximix Vitesse By Daniel Miller & Rico Conning) (1987)
15) Dance For Mercy
16) Chorus (Aggressive Trance Mix By Youth aka Martin Glover) (1991)
17) Put Your Empathy On Ice
18) Oh L'Amour (PWL Funky Sisters Say 'Ooh La La' Mix By Pete Waterman & Phil Harding) (1986)
19) Thank You
20) A Little Respect (Remixed By Mark Saunders) (1988)