The Human League perform in Leeds - REVIEW

The Human League took to a sold out Millennium Square this weekend, as part of the Leeds Sounds of the City line up.

The synth-pop band delivered an evening of fun, dance, and costume changes galore on Friday night.

"Get around town where the people look good and the music is loud" The Human League perform in Leeds - Image by Natasha Judge

It was a reyt Yorkshire evening of music, with both The Human League and ABC being from Sheffield, performing not too far from home.

Vocalist, Susan Ann Sulley, said: “We’ve been in America for five and a half weeks, we had a fantastic time, the audiences have been great - but it is nice to be home!

“We can only do this, us and ABC’s Martin (Fry), because you come and support us year after year after year, and actually it’s decade after decade now let’s be truthful.

“So, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting live music, coming to see us, we really really appreciate it.”

Keytar performers - Benjamin Smith and Nick Banks opened up the band's set, building up the synthesisers of tune ‘The Sound of the Crowd’. They had great on stage rapport with the original band members, Phillip Oakey, Susan Ann Sulley, and Joanne Catherall.

Fashionista Phil Oakey - Image by Natasha Judge

The catchy synth and vocally superb tracks, matched with some of the futuristic outfits modelled by Oakey, almost felt like the audience time-travelled back to the 80s.

The staging was simplistically effective with a white light up platform, and a screen with corresponding graphics behind.

Performing all the hits including ‘Don’t You Want Me’, ‘Lebanon’ and ‘Louise’, the Yorkshire audience were passionately singing the lyrics back with no problems!

In particular, the track ‘Love Action (I Believe in Love)’ got people grooving to the point where people were matching the dancing skeleton imagery on the screen.

The show was seamless in transitions, with an instrumentalist on stage at all times to keep the momentum going on the warm summer’s night.

Susan Ann Sulley’s vocals were nothing short of pristine on tune ‘One Man in My Heart’, her voice carried from the audience all the way to those sneaky few who were watching the show from the nearby Weatherspoon’s balcony!

"These are the things that dreams are made of" - Image by Natasha Judge

An unexpected highlight of the show was song ‘(Keep Feeling) Fascination’, the keytar players were shaking hips in unison alongside Sulley and Catherall, amongst rainbow lighting.

The evening closed with an energetic performance of The Human League’s Phillip Oakey and composer Giorgio Moroder’s hit song - ‘Together in Electric Dreams’.

The evening had a special guest of 80s group ABC, who livened up the crowd with hits including ‘Poison Arrow’, ‘When Smokey Sings’, and big hit ‘The Look of Love’. Their set featured some incredible saxophone and guitar solos, which were a real joy to watch on the Leeds heatwave evening.

"Sisters and brothers, that's the look..." ABC perform as special guests at Millennium Square, Leeds - Image by Natasha Judge

The gig was one of several as part of the ‘Sounds Of The City’ concert series held in Leeds city centre, with The Cribs, Wet Leg, Tom Odell and Alabama Shakes also taking to the stage.

For further information on upcoming The Human League gigs, visit here, and for more information on Sounds of the City, visit here.

Setlist:

The Sound of the Crowd

Mirror Man

The Things That Dreams Are Made Of

Heart Like a Wheel

Louise

Seconds

The Lebanon

One Man in My Heart

Human

Love Action (I Believe in Love)

Tell Me When

(Keep Feeling) Fascination

Don’t You Want Me

Being Boiled

Together in Electric Dreams