Music > Live Reviews

Blancmange

Diss Corn Hall

21/11/22

Well, what a great opener, I’ve Seen The Word, is classic Blancmange and as ever there is nostalgia and yet a certain freshness in the air this evening even if it’s a little bit damp outside.
The hits are plentiful for sure, but the new material keeps on coming. Fair play to Neil Arthur, (who is by the way, looking in great shape still and most resplendent in a dark suit) for keeping this great band going and for preserving their back catalogue, yet providing fresh innovation to the same said quality of the earlier year’s songs. How many artists are doing this still from the eighties? The answer is, not many! Most latch onto an eighties tour bus with the likes of Bucks Fizz and Sonia! Heaven help us that this would ever happen to Blancmange.  

There is a hard-core Blancmange following here this evening, and amongst them are some people that just remember the hits that they made in the past. I do hope that they remember that said fresh vibe that was in the air this evening when they wake up through their drunken haze this morning and then go and buy some of the newer stuff, it may just remind them of what a good night they had out in south Norfolk.

Waves still sounds great, while Feel Me penetrates, rattles, and shakes the walls and floor in this very fine establishment, amongst the newer material such as Mindset, Not A Priority, Last Night I Dreamt I Had A Job and What’s The Time it’s a very impressive set.

Arthur is accompanied by Chris Pemberton (keyboards) and Liam Hutton (percussion) for tonight’s show.

As if we thought that Living On The Ceiling was to be the end of tonight’s show! It turns out to be the penultimate song, with the band soon back on the stage to give us Don’t Tell Me, it sounds magnificent, the batteries in us lot are still going strong, and we are up for more.

The new album Private View is their eighteenth album in total and their first with London Records for the first time in many a year. They have recently re-signed with them again and Arthur appears deeply touched by this as he relays this news.

What a gig, what a venue? We have had an appreciative band and equally appreciative audience this evening. More of the same please Diss Corn Exchange. 

He dedicates the set to Stephen Luscombe his friend and ex band mate with much love going his way, he is also thankful multiple times to the Blancmangies that have bothered to venture out this tonight, he is such a nice man.

There sure is lots of mutual love in the room this evening. What is it that they say about class being permanent? Well, you know the rest, don’t you? This gig had quality in abundance.