Sheffield

THE UNMANNED stage set is the first whiff of something new and mysteriously different.

The mixer is positioned on stage rather than at the rear of the hall. The intention being for the musicians to hear the same 'finished' sound that reaches the ears of the audience.

A double necked guitar/bass hangs suspended by a thread dangling from a lamp. This conserves the neck muscles of Dave Stewart. An organ sits atop an old school desk flanked by a bucket of drum sticks and a saxophone.

Another shock is still in store. When the four piece appear Annie Lennox sports a daringly-crazed black wig. "She used to be blonde" whispers half the crowd. Her topping combined with a similarly-coloured sequinned dress turns her performance into a kind of puppet like parody of the common-or-garden pop singer.

To continue reading this article and to discover many more (over 140,000 words-worth!), purchase Mick Sinclair’s Adjusting the Stars: Music journalism from post-punk London.