Heaven 17 at Shepherds Bush Empire

This gig was a particular pleasure on a number of grounds. 

I am quite evangelical about Heaven 17, so it was great being able to "introduce" them to my young  friend Andy, who wasn't born in their heyday. He just new their greatest ht, which lots of people do - the fantastic Temptation. So it was lovely that he came along, and that he saw how much better they were live than on record.

Then it was at Shepherds Bush Empire which may be a bit of a trek but is a nice old theatre - along the lines of Brixton Academy but maybe a quarter the size.

 And the surprise element was the support act - Pete Wylie of the Might Wah. Alright not a household name, but he had one of the stand out hits of the 1980s - Story of the Blues - which I used to absolutely love. However, not having seen or heard of him in over 30 years, I would never have recognized him. When I last saw him he was a slim pale young man with spiky hair, very much of the 80s. Shall we just say time hasn't been kind. 

So, moody 1980s Pete

And the 2021 version.

But it was good just to have seen him in the flesh (probably rather more flesh than he ought to be carrying if he really cared as much about the NHS as he claimed!!!)

Heaven 17 are from the same era but rather better preserved. Yes blokes in their 60s, (with much younger, more attractive backing singers with absolutely stunning voices), but looking dapper. 

They also sound just perfect, almost certainly better than their 80s selves. And with them you not only get great songs expertly delivered, but also a bit of history of the group and the times. A lot of chat from Glenn Gregory, and if you don't know it (almost all the audience did - Andy was one of the few people there under 50), the group was a breakaway from the more famous Human League. Basically two of the three members of the Human League formed Heaven 17 leaving only Phil Oakley, who then rebuilt the Human League while Heaven 17 added Gregory as their lead singer (with a voice infinitely superior to Phil's but without as good hair).

Quite simply, if you ever get the chance, go see them. You won't be disappointed. Good humoured, great voices, excellent 80s dance music.