The Human League celebrate their iconic synth-pop masterpiece DARE!, by performing the album in full, alongside other anthems and classics from across their extensive back catalogue.
Wednesday 6 March | Brisbane Fortitude Music Hall
Friday 8 March | Sydney Enmore Theatre
Saturday 9 March | Melbourne Palais Theatre
Monday 11 March | Adelaide AEC Theatre
Thursday 14 March | Perth Astor Theatre
Hailing from Sheffield, The Human League dominated the airwaves and charts throughout the 80s with their stylish synth-pop that remains as fresh, current and highly influential today as it did when released. Pioneering a new era in music, The Human League were one of the first bands to use computers and sequencers to create rhythm and music paving the way for the decades of electronic music that were to follow. In 1982, the Sydney Morning Herald was already describing them as ‘one of the first futurist bands.’
The apex of 80s synth-pop, DARE contained four hit singles, including the synth pop masterpiece ‘Don’t You Want Me’, ‘Love Action’, ‘The Sound of The Crowd’ and ‘Open Your Heart’ and is sheer perfection from start to finish. Whilst Philip Oakey initially thought ‘Don’t You Want Me’ was the weakest track on the album and relegated it to the last track on side two of the album, it was released as the 4th single in November 1981. Aided by an iconic video and the rising influence of MTV, it went on to become the biggest single from DARE and is to this day a staple on radio playlists worldwide.
Rolling Stone magazine ranks DARE in the top 100 albums of the 1980s, describing it as “an alluring synthesizer-soaked brand of rock, most remembered for its slick synthesizers, drum machines, dance rhythms and palatable pop”. DARE was one of the biggest selling albums in Australia in 1982, achieving Platinum status.
The synth-pop hitmakers The Human League are founding member Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. Together the band are still as captivating and as charismatic as ever. Fans will have the chance to relive DARE! in full and performed live in March 2024 alongside other Human League hits from their extensive catalogue.