English synthpop duo Soft Cell have officially called it quits, more than 40 years after they first started making music together.
Soft Cell originally existed for seven years between 1977 and 1984 before splitting up. In those seven years, the group released four albums, and countless singles, the most famous of which was ‘Tainted Love’, a cover of a Gloria Jones track which saw them top charts around the world.
Following almost two decades of inactivity, the duo of Marc Almond and David Ball got back together in 2001 for a new album and a series of live performances. Sadly, this reformation also proved to be short-lived, and the group parted ways again in 2005.
Then, earlier this year, the group announced that they were once again getting back together, but this time for what was dubbed their “only and last ever show”.
“With Soft Cell I always felt something was unfinished,” explained Marc Almond in a statement. “This last ever final show will be the best ever ending. It will be a real statement and send off, and thank you to every fan.”
Taking place overnight, Soft Cell indeed took to the stage at London’s O2 Arena for their final performance.
Their first show in over 14 years, the 31-song set was a career-spanning retrospective of tracks that showcased each of their studio albums, from 1981’s Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret to 2002’s Cruelty Without Beauty.
Opening with ‘Memorabilia’, every one of the band’s tracks would have been a treat for fans new and old, with the group even performing ‘Northern Lights’, one of two songs released this year in anticipation of the final show.
Fittingly though, the band bid farewell to their legions of fans with a performance of 1982′ ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’, putting an end to the lifespan of one of the most influential synth-pop duos to ever grace the world of music.
If you weren’t able to make it over to England for this final performance, don’t worry, because the band have promised that this final gig will be released as part of a CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray package in 2019.
Check out footage of Soft Cell’s final-ever performance:
Soft Cell @ O2 Arena, London, England 30/09/2018 Setlist
‘Memorabilia’
‘Monoculture’
‘Darker Times’
‘Together Alone’
‘Torch’
‘Forever The Same’
‘Baby Doll’
‘Insecure Me’
‘Where The Heart Is’
‘Numbers’
‘Barriers’
‘Loving You, Hating Me’
‘Last Chance’ (with Mari Wilson)
‘Frustration’
‘Youth’
‘The Best Way To Kill’
‘Meet Murder My Angel’
‘Surrender To A Stranger’
‘Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime’
‘So’
‘Martin’
‘Heat’
‘The Art Of Falling Apart’
‘Northern Lights’
‘Soul Inside’
‘What?’
‘Bedsitter’
‘Tainted Love’ (Gloria Jones cover)
‘Where Did Our Love Go’ (The Supremes cover)
‘Sex Dwarf’
‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’
