Ah, finally got my grubby little mitts on this record. I missed out on it when it was originally released and have been chasing it for a few years. My patience eventually paid off but my bank balance took a hit in the process.
In 2017 Erasure released a new album called ‘World Be Gone’ after a three-year hiatus. It was well received and made it into the top 10 of the UK charts. On the back of this success, the band embarked on a tour to promote it.
To generate more revenue from the live shows, the gig at the Hammersmith Apollo was recorded and then transferred to brightly coloured vinyl (neon yellow, green and orange) by LiveHereNow.
The whole thing was packaged in a mirror board, triple gatefold sleeve which also includes a print and a glossy insert featuring tour photos and a list of the hundreds of people who originally crowd-funded the album. Nice.
I caught them on this tour at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool and remember how good they sounded that night, this record captures their live performance very well.
This was recorded 5 years ago and Andy Bell’s voice is still good and strong. He is also sober on this recording so there is no car crash performance like at the Rewind Festival this summer.
All the hits you could want are on this as well as most of the tracks from ‘World Be Gone’ which isn’t a bad thing. Good to hear the likes of ‘Phantom Bride’ get an airing too as well as their cover of ‘Atomic’ by Blondie.
If you fancy a copy then it is going to cost you. I’ve seen it listed for over £250 but if you keep an eye out you can get it for about £60-£70. If you are a fan then it is an essential purchase and worth every penny in my humble opinion.
Tracks To Try: Any of them (if you can get your hands on a copy).