Heaven 17 are one of the most iconic bands to have emerged from 70’s punk and helped grow the new wave of synth driven pop. Hailing from the surprising synth hotbed of Sheffield alongside other notable acts such as Cabaret Voltaire and The Human League, H17 shaped music in the direction of todays musical output… whether is a good or bad thing is up for discussion!
Indeed, H17 will be forever connected to The Human League in a more personal sense due to one of the true God Fathers of synth… Mr Martyn Ware.
Friday the 9th of August sees the return of H17 to Paisley for the first time in many years and they were greeted by a newly refurbished Paisley Town Hall. They must have been impressed because it is a beautiful venue both inside and out.
The whole setup at the Town Hall is slick and friendly; door staff were welcoming, ticket staff helpful and the whole vibe is something to be proud of for all involved in the production.
The music started with the Glasgow band The Era; a two piece running a laptop based backing track accompanied by guitarist and an electric harp player. As strange as the set up may sound they were very good at their craft and thoroughly deserved their biggest gig to date. Definitely one to listen out for.
Heaven 17 strode on stage to a massive Paisley welcome as if they were prodigal sons (and daughters) returning. Those who knew the band knew exactly what lay in store; the H17 virgins were about to be blown away!
‘Crushed by the Wheels of Industry’ kicked off the show and we were underway… they looked good and they sounded even better; even the H17 virgins already knew what lay ahead!
The current political troubles in the UK, or one side of the troubles at least, were brought into focus on track two… ‘(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang’ this absolute banger of a tune was preceded by Glenn signing and throwing an eponymous embalmed hat into the crowd claiming it was the last of a limited bunch he’d ordered. (unfortunately this proved to be untrue as he did the same thing the following day at a festival!)
The set was just a roll of mega tunes; aural delight banging away at the ears as though it was the last time ever!
The only slow song came in the form of a Barry Mann cover… ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’ brings Martyn from behind his keyboards and places him front and centre to perform a duet with Glenn as the unfairly good looking Florence accompanies on keyboards. The interaction between Glenn and Martyn forged over the years is touching.
The set, predictably, ends with ‘Temptation’. An extended version which showcases the vocals of the backing vocalists sets the venue on a seismic journey of bouncing, dancing and singing… the bouncing was very impressive given the age of the majority of the crowd. There appears to life in the old dogs yet!
The fact that Florence tees up another song on her laptop suggests that it’s not over but still people begin to leave… fools!!
Fools?
There is an extra dose of magnificent Heaven 17ness about to unleashed on the sensible ones still in the venue.
An excellent cover of a most excellent song is the first part of the reward for those who stayed. ‘Party Fears Two’ by The Associates pays homage to the long missed and admired Billy McKenzie before one of the most iconic and loved synth based tunes of all time is performed as a parting shot.
‘Being Boiled’ could easily be the sermon the world needs right now… “Listen to the Words of Buddha’ commands Mr Gregory.
“Buddha’s watching; Buddha’s waiting” is a hopeful prediction as the world needs a person of peace to triumph over the sordid goings on all over the globe at the moment.
An epic synth track of for the masses or hopeful thoughts and introspection? Time will tell but for one night, at least, peace was upon us in the shape of two elder statesmen of synth pop and their extremely talented carers… sorry guys!
Review and Photographs by John Brown Photography
