REMEMBER the Thompson Twins? Tom Bailey, the Sheffield-founded group’s lead vocalist and instrumentalist, now performs under the name Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey.
Next year, he will close his autumn tour at York Barbican on September 26, the only Yorkshire location on his 14-date itinerary, when fellow 1980s’ chart art Blancmange will support. Tickets go on sale on Friday (3/10/2025) from 10am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/tom-bailey/.
Known for their fusion of pop, new wave and synth-driven dance music, combined with an eclectic visual style, Thompson Twins enjoyed success in both the singles and albums charts on both sides of the Atlantic, being among the select group of British artists to “break” America.
On July 13 1985, they appeared with Nile Rodgers on guitar and Madonna on backing vocals at Live Aid at the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.
Songwriter and producer as well as performer, Bailey played on Grace Jones’s My Jamaican Guy and Foreigner’s ‘I Want To Know What Love Is, among others.
In his shows as Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, he performs such Thompson Twins numbers as Love On Your Side, We Are Detective, Hold Me Now, Doctor! Doctor!, You Take Me Up, Sister Of Mercy, Lay Your Hands On Me, In The Name Of Love, If You Were Here, Lies, Don’t Mess With Doctor Dream and King For A Day. In addition, he will showcase songs from his only solo album, July 2028’s Science Fiction.
This year, Bailey, 69, completed a mini-world tour, performing in some countries for the first time, and he joined forces with The Human League for a series of UK festival shows highlighting the best of British synth pop.
On next year’s tour, he will be joined by Charlotte Raven, vocals, keyboards and cello,Paulina Szczepaniak, vocals and drums, and Alice Offley,vocals, bass and keyboards.
On October 31, BMG will release the new compilation Industry And Seduction – A Thompson Twins Collectionon 3CD and 2 vinyl LP formats.
Neil Arthur, 67, now tours as Blancmange, long-time friends of Tom Bailey and fellow artist from the Eighties’ synth pop scene. Expect to re-live such Blancmange favourites as Living On The Ceiling, God’s Kitchen, Feel Me,Waves, Blind Vision, That’s Love, That It Is, Don’t Tell Me and Abba cover The Day Before You Came next September.