Long-running synthpop act Heaven 17 will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its venerated debut album Penthouse and Pavement by performing the record in its entirety each night during an eight-date U.K. tour this November that’s being billed as “part art installation and part concert.”
Augmented by four additional musicians, founding members Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory — Ian Craig Marsh left the band in 2007 — will play the nine-track album in its entirely plus a greatest-hits encore (featuring the band’s UK No. 2 hit “Temptation”) at each of the dates, beginning Nov. 22 in Edinburgh and wrapping Dec. 1 in Bristol.
The concerts will feature a “live digital visual show” with artists and designers such as Chris Bird, Malcolm Garrett and Tim Head contributing images to go along with Penthouse and Pavement. Prior to each night’s set, the on-stage LED screen also will show new images set to the music of B.E.F., the pre-Heaven 17 act formed by Ware and Marsh.
Released in September 1981 —meaning the tour’s technically more of a 29th anniversary trek — Penthouse and Pavement often is dubbed one of the first concept albums of the ’80s, featuring left-leaning political songs such as “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang.” The fall dates follow two initial UK shows and a run of Penthouse and Pavement shows in Europe this past March. Check out a sample of the show’s visual effects below.
See Heaven 17’s tour dates and promo video after the jump…
Heaven 17 Penthouse and Pavement tour dates:
Nov. 22: HMV Picture House, Edinburgh, UK
Nov. 23: O2 ABC, Glasgow, UK
Nov. 25: Ritz, Manchester, UK
Nov. 26: HMV Institute, Birmingham, UK
Nov. 28: HMV Forum, London, UK
Nov. 29: O2 Academy, Oxford, UK
Nov. 30: Corn Exchange, Brighton, UK
Dec. 1: O2 Academy, Bristol, UK
They did a warm-up tour of Penthouse and Pavement in Europe this spring. I saw the Copenhagen show and it was fantastic! Glenn’s voice is really on, and the band was tight. They even did an acoustic version of “Don’t You Want Me Baby”…. very funny.
nice. wish i could see them. a few thousand miles too far!
I think this must be the same tour as shown on BBC2 as part of their 80s season. Recorded in Sheffield 6th March 2010.
It sounds quite similar to the album, but Oh Dear…. How come they now have Alexei Sayle as their frontman? And whats with the “dad dancing”?
There is something very weird about a skinhead singing “Fascist Groove Thang” and it gets worse with 52 year-old “Geisha Boy”; then they murder the BEF tracks…..