Soft Cell on Tour
English synthpop icons Soft Cell came to prominence in the mid-'80s with their smash hit "Tainted Love." Comprised of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball, Soft Cell still have what it takes to put on a captivating show almost four decades into their career. Soft Cell are bringing their dreamy vocals and ethereal synthesized beats stateside on a North American Tour in 2022. Don't miss out on tickets to see the pair perform new tracks from 2022's Happiness Not Included, their sixth studio album and first release in 20 years. As a special treat for fans, Soft Cell will be performing their debut album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which featured the hit "Tainted Love," as a belated celebration of its 40th anniversary.
Soft Cell Live in Concert
After meeting at Leeds Polytechnic in England, English synthpop duo Soft Cell was formed by Marc Almond and David Ball during the late '70s. The pair's first project, the EP Mutant Moments, was released in 1980. The track "Memorabilia" -- from Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret -- was a hit in local clubs, and Some Bizarre record label signed Soft Cell as a promising new pop group. Mutant Moments wasn't the hit they expected, but Some Bizarre gave the band another chance to record a hit single. This second chance led the band to release a cover of Gloria Jones' 1965 northern soul track "Tainted Love." It became a No. 1 hit in 17 countries in 1981 and is still widely recognized today. By 1982, "Tainted Love" was No. 8 in the United States and set a Guinness World Record for staying on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 43 weeks straight. Between 1981 and 1984, Soft Cell released four UK Top 20 albums and 12 Top 40 hits before splitting to pursue solo projects. The pair have never been able to stay apart for good, and eventually reunited for a tour in 2000 and again in 2018. After touring across Europe in 2000, the band released 2002's Cruelty Without Beauty, with the single "The Night" reaching No. 39 in the UK. After another close to 20 years of hiatus, Soft Cell returned to play "one last" reunion show for 20,000 fans at The O2 in 2018. After the wild success of the O2 show, BMG offered Almond and Ball a new record deal. The pair accepted and ended up sticking together to release Happiness Not Included in 2022.
