GIG REVIEW: The Human League @ The Forum, Bath, 14/12/21

‘We have a variety of songs…we are the Human League!’

This is how lead singer Phil Oakey introduced his band in Bath last night, to rapturous applause from the 1500-strong audience.

We’d already been treated to an energetic set from support act Altered Images, whose lead singer Claire Grogan cavorted and strutted around the stage in a sparkly, Strictly-worthy red dress, obviously meaning business.

I’d previously seen the band at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury supporting OMD back in September, and they had improved greatly since then, with songs old (‘Don’t Talk To Me About Love’, ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘I Could Be Happy’) and new (‘The Colour of my Dreams’, a cover of the Ting Ting’s ‘That’s Not My Name’) sounding much tighter and as a result, more impactful.

This was also true of the Human League, in that I had seen them before and they were far better this time - although admittedly the last time I saw them was 5 years ago, and rather than it being in a beautiful Art Deco venue like the Forum, it was in the rather cow shed-esque Birmingham NIA.

In fact the Art Deco feel of the venue last night added to the experience more than I thought it would; perhaps it was the intensity of the juxtaposition between the stark, white stage set up and the bright, colourful venue that made the set as a whole feel so futuristic.

Of course, most of the music the band played was futuristic enough by itself - particularly ‘Dare’ (the band’s most commercial successful album, released in 1981) which was a real treat to hear played in full in the second half of the set.

The first part of the set set comprised of hits from various other ‘eras’ of the band’s career, kicking off in style with ‘Mirror Man’, and cruising through others including ‘Heart Like A Wheel’ (one of my favourite Human League tracks) and the melancholic ‘Human’, with Oakey amusingly claiming that until two days ago he hadn’t realised the latter’s title featured in the band’s name. He sounded so sheepish that it was rather endearing.

As a result of moments like that, the gig was also actually a lot more jovial than I expected it to be. When Oakey wasn’t marching up and down like a Yul Brynner impersonator, he was dressed like a Japanese anime villain and running gleefully from one side of the stage to the other.

As I said, this feeling of joviality was unexpected, partly because of my memory of a rather gloomy set last time I saw the band, but also partly because of the band’s prefatory presentation to the audience last night.

Before they came on there was a triumphant piece of classical music played over the speakers, whilst we all looked at three white microphone stands in front of a long black curtain.

Here we go, I thought. Already it seemed like I was going to be in for an incredibly pretentious evening.

But as soon as the curtain fell (and I mean, literally ‘fell’ from the pole it was attached to) and the stage was revealed, I was in awe.

Everything was white - the keyboards, the keytars, the drum kit, the microphones - and the musicians were positioned on various platforms, with Oakey right at the top, hiding in plain sight until he started singing.

Joanne Catherall and Susan Anne Sulley, who wisely never ventured up onto the stage platforms, provided more than just ‘backing vocals’, with their dancing almost as wonderfully melodramatic as it had been in 1981, and Sulley showcasing honeyed lead vocals for the sugary-sweet ‘One Man In My Heart’.

The other members of the band - Nick Banks (keyboards and guitar), Ben Smith (keyboards and vocals) and Rob Barton (electronic percussion) - meanwhile, were suited and booted like a monochrome Kraftwerk tribute act. Later on we were also introduced to David Beevers, who apparently wasn’t usually in view of the audience, but as a synth programmer and onstage engineer was obviously a vital part of the show.

In fact, my only real complaint the whole evening was the ludicrous number of costume changes, a few of which would have added to the dramatics of the gig but the four or five of which actually took place made some of the transitions from song to song feel messy.

There was also a lot of pushing and shoving when it came to ‘Don’t You Want Me’, resulting in me being about ten seconds away from slapping a drunk woman if she stood on my coat one more time, particularly considering her real seat was somewhere towards the back of the venue.

That was hardly the band’s fault though. In fact, on seeing a fight breaking out between yet another drunk person who had ‘accidentally’ gravitated to the front row and the quiet man next to me, Sulley and Oakey seemed to edge further towards our side of the stage, as if singing ‘don’t you want me, baby?’ at the tops of their voices might go some way towards restoring order in the venue.

To be honest, I think that might have made it worse. But seeing as they - and the rest of the band - had given it what seemed like everything they’d got all night, we let them off.

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