SOFT CELL

Before we begin our announcement, we would like to emphasise that we have been agonising for half a day about what to do about the sad passing of Dave Ball (1959 – 2025). Should we observe a minute's silence or follow the football trend of recent years and give a thunderous round of applause to celebrate Ball's life and wonderful career?  We will come back to this. Ball must have had several encounters in his life that gave it a favourable turn, but the day he nodded kindly to Marc Almond at university and the latter enthusiastically shook his hand was certainly very decisive. In short, the two decided to dive into the world of computer pop and founded SOFT CELL. Two guys with so much talent, it's like a bottle of Pepsi with a handful of Mentos dropped in it, it can only result in a fountain of fizz. Take LPs such as “Non-stop erotic cabaret” (1981), “The art of falling apart” (1983) and “This last night in Sodom” (1984).  These are records that awaken all the admiration in your body and make you take your hat off seven or eight times per album.  You don't want to know how many imaginary hats we've worn out listening to all that beauty from Soft Cell. While 99% of LPs from the 1980s are lying somewhere, decaying in the great washing tub of oblivion, those by Soft Cell are staying close to a record player all over the world. The thing is, Soft Cell eventually made a comeback, and recent work such as ‘Cruelty without beauty’ (2022) and ‘Happiness not included’ (2024) were showered with praise from the international press and from you, the fans.  Before we forget: at the time of writing, a new album (‘Dancetaria’) by Soft Cell is pulling at the metal tubes of the scaffolding, ready to break free. So, on the evening that Almond and co come to triumph with us, you will have at least ten new songs to look forward to. Otherwise: now a minute's silence for Dave, and in Lokeren a stormy applause with twenty thousand hands? Agreed? Go...