The double bill of THOMPSON TWINS’ Tom Bailey + BLANCMANGE reached London’s IndigO2 as both acts treated fans to their greatest hits and new material.
Visitors to SetlistFM would have noticed that a setlist is always a work in progress. For Tom Bailey, it was an opportunity to delve into the deeper cuts of the THOMPSON TWINS back catalogue as well as material from his 2018 debut solo long player ‘Science Fiction’. While the UK tour had begun in Exmouth featuring a much longer show featuring ‘Roll Over’, ‘Kamikaze’ and a cover of THE BEATLES’ ‘Revolution’ with ‘Storm On The Sea’ added in Aylesbury, by the time the tour had reached Manchester, things had been honed to a tight 16 song playlist.
Having opened for Tom Bailey on selected dates during 2024’s ‘Into The Gap’ tour, BLANCMANGE were back on duty as special guests. While Finlay Shakespeare began operating his synth battery to kick off with ‘Game Above My Head’, Neil Arthur immediately beckoned the audience to get on their feet and in a good sign for the evening, just about everyone did. ‘Reduced Voltage’ showed that despite having a portfolio of hits, Arthur was very much about the present as he told an anecdote about finally getting to the capital’s Sky Bar but then only drinking water!
‘Feel Me’, ‘Waves’ and ‘Blind Vision’ returned to the familiarity but there then came a surprise of sorts with a cover of ABBA’s ‘The Day Before You Came’ for the first time on this tour; while the 1984 BLANCMANGE version was actually a bigger UK hit than the original, tonight it came in a superbly dark electronic arrangement with Shakespeare’s stark pulses complimenting Arthur’s melodramatic storytelling.
A further surprise came with a lively cover of DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ inspired by Arthur’s recent synth reinterpretations project DOUBLESPEAK with Benge and original DM member Vince Clarke; was it a taster for future live shows by the trio? Who knows? Closing with BLANCMANGE’s two biggest hits ‘Living on the Ceiling’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me’, everyone was warmed up and with a very quick 20 minute stage turnaround, there was no rest for the wicked!
It was now time for Tom Bailey to play you all his favourite records and proceedings began appropriately with ‘In The Name Of Love’. With a young female backing band comprising of Charlotte Raven (keyboards, cello + vocals), Paulina Szczepaniak (drums + vocals) and Meelie Traill (bass, keyboards + vocals), their musical and visual interplay complimented Tom Bailey’s elder statesman role as he moved between keyboards, guitar and percussion. His wireless head mic allowed freedom of movement and while the quartet’s choreography was not a ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ group dance, their changes of position and roles ensured maximum engagement with the audience in a manner that THE HUMAN LEAGUE could learn from.
The ‘Science Fiction’ title song and ‘Shooting Star’ reminded everyone of Bailey’s return as a solo artist but it was the ‘Greatest Hits’ as billed on the poster and album favourites that that people wanted. A rousing ‘You Take Me Up’ turned into an episode of ‘The Prisoner’ as Bailey grappled a giant red balloon while the whole band moved to the front for superb stripped down renditions of ‘We Are Detective’ and ‘The Gap’ with Raven moving to cello and Szczepaniak to a futurist bongo while both also took turns duetting with Bailey.
‘Sister of Mercy’, ‘Lay Your Hands on Me’ and ‘If You Were Here’ kept the momentum going but ‘Lies’ provided an exotic funky bounce to savour. It was Bailey’s turn to do a cover and it was an authentic take on TALKING HEADS’ ‘Psycho Killer’, a song that he had nominated among his
Now crowned ‘King For A Day’, the main part of the show closed with an extended ‘Doctor! Doctor!’; but the crowd were not going to go home without hearing ‘Love on Your Side’ and ‘Hold Me Now’ which Bailey duly delivered with the latter turning into an anthemic singalong that drew smiles from all and sundry.
This evening was more than just nostalgia escapism, it was a masterclass in synth-inspired songwriting that has meant that the melodies and rhythmic dash of both THOMPSON TWINS and BLANCMANGE continue to endure after more than 40 years.
Neither Tom Bailey and Neil Arthur have sat on their laurels; their willingness to experiment with recent material and affectionately chosen cover versions mingled with memorable hit singles provide some fabulous all-round entertainment.
Special thanks to Sacha Taylor-Cox at Hush PR
THOMPSON TWINS’ TOM BAILEY + BLANCMANGE 2026 UK Tour continues: Brighton Chalk (20th September), Guildford G Live (21st September), Cambridge Junction (23rd September), Buxton Opera House (24th September), Nottingham Rock City (25th September), York Barbican (26th September) – tickets on sale at https://www.alttickets.com/thompson-twins-tom-bailey-tickets
Tom Bailey ‘Triangle Tour Live’ is release as a CD and various coloured vinyl LP formats, available to pre-order at https://thompsontwinstombailey.tmstor.es/
THOMPSON TWINS ‘Industry & Seduction’ is released by BMG as a CD, 3CD box set and download
http://thompsontwinstombailey.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/ThompsonTwinsTomBailey/
https://www.instagram.com/thompsontwinstombailey/
BLANCMANGE ‘Everything Is Connected’ is released by London Records as a double CD, download + coke bottle green vinyl LP
https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic
https://www.instagram.com/blancmange_music/
Text and Photos by Chi Ming Lai
20th September 2026
Follow Us!