Heaven 17, Birmingham Town Hall - review

The synthesiser band's two remaining members Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory are marking the anniversary with a tour combining a full performance of the classic album with an outing for their other project – British Electric Foundation.

Last night's town hall concert saw Heaven 17 take to the stage first with Berenice Scott on keyboards and Billie Godfrey providing the main female vocals.

The theme from Clockwork Orange and a reading from the book, which featured a fictional group called Heaven Seventeen, preceded the arrival of the group on stage with Gregory and Ware looking suitably sharp in their suits.

The album was played in sequence with the still timely Fascist Groove Thing getting the audience straight to their feet to dance.

Gregory is still in superb voice and Ware as brilliant as ever with his synths and theramin.

The performance was anything but po-faced with Ware and Gregory joking about the Human League and Phil Oakey, but musically it was top notch. Play to Win, The Height of the Fighting and Song With No Name delighted fans who applauded wildly throughout the night.

It seemed no time at all before the album's final song – We're Going to Live for a Very Long Time – was delivered.

Heaven 17 finished with Ware and Godfrey's unique electro-pop performance of You've Lost That Loving Feeling.

They returned as BEF to deliver a set that lived up the band/production company's mission to produce music of quality and distinction.

Peter Hooton from The Farm was guest vocalist for a rousing delivery of All Together Now to kick off the set and then delighted the audience with The Clash's Bankrobber.

Soul queen Mari Wilson was next on stage for her 1982 favourite Just What I Always Wanted followed by Rescue Me.

Punk rock veteran Glen Matlock, original bass player for Sex Pistols, then joined in the fun on his own Pretty Vacant and – bizarrely – Pharrell Williams' smash Happy.

Glenn Gregory returned to finish the BEF set with his version of Wichita Lineman, a cheeky acoustic Don't You Want Me Baby, David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes and then, highlight of the night, Temptation with Billie Godfrey hitting all the right high notes.

Ware and Gregory were so delighted by the audience reaction that they gave a rare encore with the guests returning for a stunning tribute to the late and sadly-missed Colin Vearncombe of Black with his 1987 anthem Wonderful Life.

by John Corser