Thompson Twin, Tom Bailey serves up a super selection of polished electropop hits to eager fans at Birmingham’s Town Hall.

Transatlantic Twins

The Thompson Twins were one of those 80s electronic bands that achieved a remarkable feat – success on both sides of the Atlantic. They were mainstream enough to be accepted over ‘there’ and different enough to find fans over ‘here’.

Famously, the twins played Live Aid in 1985, on the other side, at the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. To be on that bill is quite the mark of acceptance.

40 years later and there has been something of a resurgence in public appearances. Tom Bailey has settled into a new rhythm with his stylishly presented backing band, always comprising three female musicians, always dressed in harmony. It’s a bit like a Robert Palmer video. The gigantic orange hair has gone, the confident, assertive performance remains.

Underrated genius

First though, a delicious serving of Blancmange to get the crowd in the mood. Neil Arthur was his usual theatrical self, delivering a selection of favourites and at least one pleasant surprise. Just when I was thinking that Arthur is what David Byrne would have looked and sounded like if he’d met Vince Clarke, along came Just Can’t Get Enough, a smashing cover that captured the frantic energy of the original and delivered it with modern panache. As with every time I’ve seen Blancmange in recent years, it left me wondering when we’re going to be treated to a headline tour. A performance of underrated genius which deserves wider recognition.

Arthur popped out to the merchandise stand during the interval to chat and sign stuff and was a thoroughly nice chap, if a little overwhelmed by the attention of some of the fans.

Alone in the darkness

Haze filled the stage and a dark, shadowy figure approached. It was none other than Tom Bailey. He carried not a microphone but a torch which he used to cut through the hazy darkness like a lighthouse guiding ships to safety or a beacon to draw anyone looking for a jolly good night out.

Perfect synergy

In The Name Of Love opened the twins main set, followed by Day After Day. Science Fiction mixed up the Thompson Twins hits with Bailey’s solo catalogue. The two blended together very nicely which does emphasise Bailey’s key role in the original band.

The current live line-up of Charlotte Raven (keyboards/cello), Paulina Szczepaniak (drums) and Meelie Traill (bass/keyboards) worked together perfectly. I imagine that a challenge for artists who have embarked on such tours has been bringing a new generation of musicians up to speed on a set of compositions which might often be very important, personally. The synergy of the band meant that the essence of the music connected with the audience beautifully.

One red balloon

You Take Me Up features a large red balloon which this time managed to bounce to the back of the stalls and almost made it to the stage again before it popped, much to the delight of everyone at the front who managed to grab a piece by way of a souvenir.

Signature sound

Love On Your Side is a song which amply demonstrates the twin’s signature sound of electronic percussion woven with catchy tunes and it certainly got the audience on their feet.

Rollover, We Are Detective, The Gap, Sister Of Mercy, Lay Your Hands, Shooting Star and Lies kept the pace varied, ebbing and flowing and taking fans on a journey through the best years of their lives.

Psycho Killer was an interesting choice of cover which reveals Bailey’s esoteric influences and led into King For A Day and Doctor Doctor which rounded off a thoroughly smashing evening.

An encore? Surely not

The end? Surely not. And no, it wasn’t. Much to everyone’s surprise, an encore came. Some artists have called for an end to the pantomime of pretending to finish without playing what the fans really want to hear, then being dragged back onto stage for an impromptu, unplanned totally unrehearsed addition to the set list. Not Bailey. He knows what the fans want and he’s not afraid to let them scream for it. Not for long though.

Storm By The Sea and Revolution calmed things down a bit. The grand finale was, of course, Hold Me Now, featuring the audience singalong that any Bailey fans have come to know and love.

Tom Bailey will undoubtedly be back on the road again soon so make sure you don’t miss out on an evening of uplifting singalong joy.

Thompson Twins Tom Bailey: Website

At The Barrier: Facebook/ X / Instagram

Here they are in their prime not long before Live Aid…