Erasure’s Andy Bell Goes Solo
Catching up on the first-ever tour under his own name in Boston
Are Erasure fans called Erasureheads? And are fans of the one-half of Erasure, singer Andy Bell, called Bellboys?
Let’s go with that bit of pop culture silliness for a minute. Erasure — Bell and composer/synthist Vince Clarke — is on hiatus but will celebrate their 40th (!) anniversary soon. (Heck, I remember when Erasure was Clarke’s fourth band, following Depeche Mode (the “Just Can’t Get Enough” days), Yaz, aka Yazoo, and the Assembly.)
I wrote this in the Boston Globe reviewing an Erasure show from 1997: “This is the heart of Erasure: Optimism in the face of a world that is not always so kind.”
Bell and Clarke have each undertaken solo or non-Erasure adventures throughout their career. Bell’s frequent non-Erasure collaborator is Grammy award-winning producer, DJ and keyboardist Dave Audé.
Last month, Bell — 61, ever-blonde, cheeky and chatty, sporting gold lamé gear — began his first ever solo tour of North America last month. It runs into December and I caught the Boston gig at the Wilbur Theater Saturday Nov. 1. The backing band comprises Audé, guitarist Jerry Fuentes, drummer Sarah Tomek and singer Chelsea King-Blank.
I’d have to say the Erasureheads outnumbered the subset of Bellboys by a substantial margin at this show, where the floor was packed with dancers but the mezzanine (where I was) and the balcony were fairly sparse and the (older?) folks there stayed mostly seated — at least for Bell’s solo album material. I know being seated is not the ideal way to experience a dance-pop show, but so be it. Age takes a toll, no matter what your level of fandom. So, I guess we were dancing in our heads.
Ten Crowns has gotten some critical raves — The Quietus opined it was his finest solo album to date … one of their “Albums of the Year So Far,” Post-Punk went for “A radiant chapter in Andy Bell’s career, reaffirming his place as one of pop’s most expressive voices” and the New York Times termed in “effervescent.” Frankly, if there’s one word to describe Erasure or solo Bell, effervescent is the one.
The show started with “Breaking Through the Interstellar,” from Ten Crowns, and it was majestic, Bell’s sonorous voice carrying the joy ride – “We will be stars forever!” And then two from Erasure, “Blue Savannah” and “Sometimes,” followed by one of Ten Crowns’ best, “Don’t Cha Know.” The latter is where the bubbly is spiked with some tartness: “Destination calling/Will you catch me when I’m falling?/’Cause I’m messing up down here/Now I’m a hopeless dreamer/Lazy good for nothing schemer/And it all so ordinary.”
And then, “It’s so very hard to say hello/When your whole world comes crashing down.”
It was, Bell, said the first song he and Audé wrote together and it went back 12 years.
Bell’s solo stuff was received with modest enthusiasm but it was the Erasure music that got the crowd excited. Perhaps that’s no shock, as we’ve seen that dynamic many times with members of famous bands doing solo projects.
The mothership of Erasure holds supreme in the minds of ’80s dance/synth-pop fans, but enough were willing to take a chance on Bell to make for a fun-filled night (nearly 90 minutes, anyway) of surging optimistic, that is Erasure-esque, pop. There were 11 Erasure faves and eight from Bell’s spring LP, Ten Crowns, which includes a cover of the Jeff Lynne-penned, Olivia Newton-John title track to the film “Xanadu,” Was it kitsch? Not kitsch? Did it matter?
VIDEO: Andy Bell “Xanadu”
Was the show, on the whole, at the level of Erasure? Not quite, no, but …
Bell did keep up a high level of between-song chatter, some of it landing, some not. Referencing a previous Boston visit, he hauled out the cliches, “We’re going to go to an Irish pub and have some Guiness and some oysters” and what seemed to me to be non sequiturs – something about mixing K-pop and country-western and another one about a Bionic woman, a diving board and (maybe) figuring out he was gay. (Then, his accent and the sound mix didn’t make it easy. Maybe it made more sense to a Brit with better attuned hearing.)
There were some sound balance problems. The first song was perfectly clear, others not as much and the synth-produced bass lines were oppressive at times. A highlight, though, was “Heart’s a Liar,” the duet Bell performed with King-Blank, Bell explaining she was playing the part of Deborah Harry. (Harry recorded it with him on the record.) “You said we were, we were forever/Your heart’s a liar, liar, liar,” they sang in unison, the couple blaming each other sharing the blame.
Bell — who’s had both hips replaced — maybe wasn’t as crazy-ass mobile as he once was, but was still pretty perky with his dance steps. There was certainly fun to be had on stage and out in the crowd, but also the caveat that a relentless sameness to the beat, the synth squiggles and the overall tone hovered as well. Despite whatever words are in the song, there’s a decided lack of conflict or tension in the music.
And now a few moments — well, an email quickie Q/A — with Andy.
How does an Andy Bell solo album differ or distinguish itself from an Erasure album?
Bell: It’s a different process as to when I’m recording an Erasure album. Vince usually decides on the direction or sound of an album, because he creates the musical soundscape for us. When I’m working with Dave, it’s a bit like when Vince and I first started working together and we were in the studio the whole time with each other. So, when I’m working with somebody new, the tracks are built from the bottom up.
My understanding is Erasure is still a thing, just on hold right now. Is that correct? Your last album was The Neon five years ago. Are there plans for another?
Bell: Erasure has always been ongoing, for 40 years — Vince and I are family and have never stopped. We both do solo projects from time to time between Erasure albums. Yes, we are working on new material at the moment, so stay tuned.
What kind of collaborative process is there when you’re not working with Vince? How did you put together the tour for this time? What are the essential elements to you, both musically and visually?
Bell: The tour was initially put together by my partner, Stephen [Moss]. We’ve been growing this idea of playing with live musicians and a full band for a while, and for this tour, we decided to take it to a bigger level. I really love the show we’ve created with Dave and our band from Nashville.
I know there are others, but in my world, you were one of the first “out” pop singers – maybe alongside Holly and Paul in Frankie. I’m not gay, but when I’ve seen you live, I can sense the deep bond you have with the gay community. Do you feel straight public perception of gay musicians has evolved over time to the point where it’s not an issue at all or certainly less of one?
It has definitely changed — now I feel I don’t have to make a point of the fact that I’m gay, or my sexuality. I feel very safe with the audience and feel that they’ve grown alongside us.
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