SOFT CELL

The original UK synth duo discuss comebacks, anxiety and angst, and how notoriety lasts.

As told to Ian Harrison

EMERGING FROM Leeds Poly and the same northern garage-electronics scene that gave us The Human League and Cabaret Voltaire, Soft Cell – AKA Marc Almond (voice) and Dave Ball (sounds) – combined sleaze, glamour and emotion on an early-’80s spree of gleaming hits. Worldwide fame was theirs with 1981’s Tainted Love, but they were too inflammable to last, and split in 1984 after four albums. While Ball continues to work with The Grid and beyond, and Almond’s solo LP tally is 25 and rising, the two have now reunited for new Soft Cell album Happiness Not Included, where sparse machine melodies and an undiminished voice in the spotlight communicate despair, tenderness and maturity. “Soft Cell has always been a bit of an electronic rock and roll band, really,” says Marc. Wasn’t…

You're reading a preview of

MOJO (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2022

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.