80s pop icons spark reunion rumours as they meet in New York 25 years after Brit awards and controversial festival show
ERASURE have reunited in New York City – prompting rumours they could be making new music together.
The iconic 80s band, responsible for hit A Little Respect, shared a photo from their time together in Manhattan.
Andy Bell and Vince Clarke got peoples’ interests by suggestively writing the date (Sunday, 5 May) alongside the caption “plotting and planning”.
The news thrilled fans on X (formerly Twitter), who immediately started speculating what they had up their sleeves.
“Let’s GO! Gotta see Erasure again live soon, it’s been way too long!” wrote one fan.
“So thrilled you two are still working together all these years later,” said a second, while a third noted: “New album? Would kill for a follow up to Erasure”
Erasure released their debut album Wonderland in 1985, and in the following year they broke into the UK charts with their single, Sometimes.
Since that time, they have released a staggering 19 albums, with their last being 2022’s Day-Glo (based on a true story).
They won Best British Group at the 1989 Brit Awards, with other hit tracks including A Little Respect, Always, Chains of Love and Breath of Life.
Andy Bell has also had a successful solo career, while Vince Clarke became a founding member of two more iconic bands, Depeche Mode and Yazoo.
However, Bell caused controversy in August last year after he was panned due to a festival performance that caused the show bosses to apologise for the show.
Performing at Rewind South Festival in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, fans accused Bell – who arrived on stage in gold sparkly hotpants over red leggings – of singing out of tune.
Erasure's Biggest Hits
Erasure was one of the most successful bands of the 80s - with five number one albums and 17 UK Top 10 Singles. These include...
- Sometimes (1986) – peaked at number 2
- Victims Of Love (1987) – peaked at number 7
- A Little Respect (1988) – peaked at number 4
- Drama (1989) – peaked at number 4
- Blue Savannah (1989) – peaked at number 3
- Love to Hate You (1991) – peaked at number 4
- Breath of Life (1992) – peaked at number 8
- Always (1994) – peaked at number 4
- Run To The Sun (1994) – peaked at number 6
They also reached number one with an EP of ABBA covers, called ABBA-Esque.
At one point he even dropped his microphone as he performed Erasure hits on stage, resulting in a mass walk out.
The festival was not made aware of any situation that would lead to this below par performance in advance of the show.
“The artists and their management are responsible for delivery of their set and at no point were we notified that there was going to be any problem, so were not in a position to assess this before it was too late,” the festival’s statement read in part.
“Once the show was underway, we felt that it would be better to allow it to continue in the hope that this would be an improving situation – this clearly wasn’t the case.”
However it seems Andy is now ready to carry on, with fans waiting with bated breath to hear news about any upcoming performances.
But 2024 got off to a heartbreaking start for the band, with Vince’s wife Tracy, a filmmaker, publicist and museum curator, dying from stomach cancer.
Tracy and Vince lived in Manhattan, and share their 18-year-old son, Oscar.
