The Sheffield Scenester

Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away from tonight’s Heaven 17’s 30th Anniversary gig of Penthouse and Pavement...and I suppose some might say you wait years for a Heaven 17 gig and two come along at once....because it was only three weeks ago we saw their amazing Winter Gardens gig....and yes that gig was always going to be a hard act to follow. With the promise of an amazing light show, Dj’s and special guests, Magna might just beat the last gig ‘by a nose’.

The doors opened to the public around seven o’clock, however no one was allowed to enter the big cavity of the stage area for a good three quarters of an hour or so...we were all kept waiting in the foyer. I suppose there was a bar...but with so many people scrambling for drinks, many people just used the time to socialise or moan at the security guards for not allowing them through. When we were allowed through everyone walked quickly to the stage side and got themselves comfy ready for the anticipated gig....but with yet another three quarter of an hour wait some people’s irritability was starting to show.

Eventually when the light show did start, many people (especially the ones around me) unfortunately weren’t overly impressed. The light show at the beginning consisted of red lines and a flame type shape which kept stacking and multiplying itself....very repetitive really. I heard one man say “are they taking the p*ss..?” I did wonder at one point, if we were all being slowly hypnotised...and had an amusing thought; that when we all leave Magna and someone innocently snaps their fingers, whether we’d all make an involuntary strange chicken noise!? Next up on the light show was a load of green lines which slightly moved by changing its angle to music...now unfortunately the crowd was starting to chatter amongst themselves, ignoring the light show ahead of them. Another man said, “this should have been playing as we entered...that would’ve been better.” Which I must admit...I did quietly agree with him. The light show played for about half an hour...and yes as it went on the music became more atmospheric and the images more complex and interesting. Unfortunately impatience was felt from some of the crowd, as a slow clapping could be heard, but it soon disappeared and then replaced by the chanting of “17...17...17...17”.

The band must have heard the crowd, because with in minutes Heaven 17 entered the stage to the funky resonance of ‘Fascist Groove Thang’... the ambience changed and everyone instantly warmed up, giving the band a healthy welcome. Glenn and Martyn greeted everyone with a loud “We’re home!” and as everyone cheered and clapped, Glenn continued to say “It’s taken 30 years to play the album live....because that’s how long it’s taken us to learn how to do it!” It was obvious it was going to be another night of great stage banter; and as the electronic drum began its solid beat for ‘Penthouse And Pavement’ many fans got ready to sing along. From behind his synthesiser Martyn enthusiastically encouraged the crowd to clap...whilst Glenn animatedly went from one side of the stage to the other treating the crowd to his trademark smile. After finishing the song Glenn couldn’t resist another witty comment...“No wonder it’s taken 30 years for us to do it...it kills you when you do, do it!” I must admit...The next song on the agenda ‘Play To Win’, I was really looking forward to hearing it, because it’s my ultimate favourite from the album...this time the light show did a good job by illustrating an interesting display of space invader icons and other images from the radiant backdrop. The song that would have been the last one on the ‘A side’...or the Pavement side was ‘Soul Warfare’ which gave Glenn another opportunity to say at the end of the song in a puffed out/bemused voice “Why did we write such wordy songs..?!” Again that was received with laughter and banter from the crowd. Glenn didn’t stop there, he then continued to say, “While we wait for Martyn to turn the record over...we’ll do some BEF songs.” So the set now took a twist to what some people might think are cover versions...I suppose they are...but these songs were re-whipped together with passion. Glenn sang ‘Wichita Lineman’ which gave him a new dimension really...I must admit I never expected to see Glenn with an acoustic guitar! Glenn’s voice was also projected in a different style too....a lot softer...and because this song gave a slower feel to the set, I could now look around the stage...I now became more aware of Martyn’s technical skills...well his hand skills to be more precise...Martyn used his hand in mid-air to manipulate the sound coming from his synthesizer, which created a more mysterious resonance. This song I think received the loudest applause and cheers of the night, which pleased Glenn and Martyn so much, you could see their accomplished smiles. However Glenn couldn’t keep up with the seriousness of the moment, so he then played a little prank on Martyn as if to play another song with the guitar (which wasn’t planned!) and laughed as Martyn looked quite worried at the prospect. However Martyn called his bluff...so Glenn gave everyone an impromptu performance of an acoustic version of ‘Geisha Boys and Temple Girls’. There were some mistakes...but Glenn received loud cheers for his effort. Glenn then said looking quite sheepishly “Don’t tell Phil Oakey I’ve been playing the guitar, otherwise he’ll kick me out of the Electric Foundation!” The next song was a pleasant surprise to the set, ‘Perfect Day’, because as you looked around you could see everyone singing along to it. The BEF showcase carried on as Claudia Brucken from Propaganda came on stage to do a wonderful version of ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’...however I did hear quite a funny comment from the lady who was stood next to me...after seeing the boots Claudia was actually wearing, she said “Bet they’re not!” The BEF songs came to a conclusion with ‘Ball of Confusion’ with its excellent use of the electronic drums.

It was now time to continue with the B side of the album...or the Penthouse side of the album. The electronic start of ‘Geisha Boys and Temple Girls’ reverberated around the crowd, you could now see another interesting visual display playing on the screens behind which really complimented the performance. I also loved the effect from the electronic drums; they made a sort of sound which reminded me of rain falling on an electrical fence. The harmonies form Martyn was just spot on, which also encouraged the crowd to harmonize with him. Next came the more popular/ singable songs...‘Let’s All Make a Bomb’ and ‘The Height of the Fighting’...which really whipped the crowd into a singing frenzy! Also at this point the backdrop now became ‘a distorted emergency services flashing effect’...which worked well with the siren sounds. Glenn’s vocals on ‘Song with No Name’ became low and haunting, which to me showed after 30 years he still has a versatile strong voice. The final song on the album is ‘We’re going to live for a very long time’, which has a very repetitive, but catchy ending to the song. Yet gain everyone relished the opportunity to sing out loud and enjoy every minute. Obviously that was the last song on the album; however an encore came in the guise of ‘Oddities and ‘B’sides. I think my favourite ‘I’m your Money’ must have been everyone else’s too...because yet again the whole of Magna was ‘in the moment’ and sang away to the simple lyrics. After the ‘Oddities’ section of the gig, came the popular section... ‘Let Me go’ and ‘Temptation’ really marking this occasion because even though the crowd knew the gig was drawing to a close, the excitement took over and yet again the crowd cheered as loudly as they could. After that everyone assumed that was it...but no as with The Winter Gardens gig ‘Being Boiled’ was the surprise ending...although I think if it was up to Heaven 17 they’d carry on all night! As they finished they came forward and thanked the crowd for their enthusiasm, Glenn and Martyn looked satisfied with their performance and left the stage beaming. It was a good night, although I think personally I preferred The Winter Gardens gig...because of the intimacy...and of course that night they played ‘Come Live With Me’ which I think should have been squeezed in somewhere.

Yet again Heaven 17 showed Sheffield that they are still a force to be reckoned with, and I’m looking forward to the anniversary of ‘The Luxury Gap’...because I will be the first in line for a ticket.

Words by Gail Buckthorpe
Photos by Tracey Welch