Some of you may be less familiar with the name Andy Bell but I’m sure most will go “aah” when I mention that he is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop duo Erasure who have had several huge and instantly recognizable hits such as Oh L’Amour, Sometimes, Victim Of Love, A Little Respect and Always. The duo, comprising Andy and Vince Clarke, a founding member of Depeche Mode, formed in 1985 and went on to release nineteen studio albums, including a Christmas album, Snow Globe.
Andy has also released four solo albums, namely Electric Blue (2005), Non-Stop (2010), iPop (2014) along with theatrical projects as Torsten The Bareback Saint. His latest, and probably the most personal, solo album is Ten Crowns, a predominantly dance album, sprinkled with the perfect amount of Eurodisco, produced by my favorite DJ/producer/remixer, Dave Audé. Buzz Magazine’s David Nobakht describes the album as “exultant, euphoric and classy”, three words that really capture the essence of the album. Another highlight on the album is Heart's A Liar, a duet with Debbie Harry, whose icy cool vocals blend perfectly with Andy's beautiful deep voice.
Andy brought his Ten Crowns Tour to Gramercy Theatre in NYC this past week. The show was a vibrant and energetic celebration of his career, weaving together a satisfying number of Erasure classics with brilliant new material (as well as a fabulous cover of Olivia Newton-John’s Xanadu). Andy took to the stage in bold, sparkly red pants and matching jacket, as cool as ever and sounding great! Indeed, Robert Lee, from Renowned For Sound, points out his impressive pitch and stamina, especially considering he’s had a double hip replacement. The crowd was a vital part of the performance, singing along enthusiastically to every song as he engaged with everyone in between.
The complete setlist was as follows:
Breaking Thru The Interstellar
Blue Savannah
Sometimes
Don’t Cha Know
Drama!
Heart's A Liar
Chains Of Love
Love To Hate You
Breathe (Band on vocals)
Always
Xanadu
For Today
Victim Of Love
Dance For Mercy
Chorus
Put Your Empathy On Ice
Oh l'amour
Encore:
Thank You
A Little Respect
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