By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

SETLIST: In The Name Of Love; Science Fiction; Lies; Lay Your Hands On Me; Runaway; If You Were Here; Shooting Star; Psycho Killer; The Gap; Day After Day; Sister Of Mercy; No Peace For The Wicked; You Take Me Up; Who Can Stop the Rain; Doctor! Doctor!; Hold Me Now; We Are Detective; Storm On The Sea; Love On Your Side

WHEN?: Friday 17 May 2024, tour runs through 28 July 2024

We tell Bailey before this gig that the 1st concert we ever went to was the Thompson Twins at the old Hammersmith Odeon, now the Eventim Apollo, on our 14th birthday 40 years ago and he’s genuinely thrilled.

• Read on for reasons including how this is the most comprehensive set we’ve seen Bailey give

Bailey tells a pre-gig Q&A session with 40-or-so die-hard fans here that he can’t remember the 1st gig he went to and reflects on the exciting period recording 1984’s UK number 1 Into The Gap in the Bahamas as big hit Hold Me Now was climbing the charts.

We 1st saw this incarnation of the Thompson Twins at Reading’s Sub89 in August 2014 and Bailey tells us he’s still in touch with former band members Alannah Currie, who is in New Zealand recording the audiobook of Blondie singer Deborah Harry’s memoir with her, and Joe Leeway.

Asked about a possible reunion, he says: ‘Joe and Alannah weren’t driven by the same need to make music as me. They were much more interested in visual performance and creating videos and photographs.’

According to setlist.fm, Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey played just 10 songs at that debut Reading gig and 9 of those are included here.

But tonight’s set goes as far back as 1982’s Runaway, incorporates a cover of a Talking Heads song that might be considered an inspiration and moves forward to include 2 tracks from Bailey’s 2018 solo album Science Fiction.

On the Into the Gap tour when we saw them 40 years ago the 13-song set included 9 tracks featured here and we wonder whether gigs were just shorter then?

This is definitely the most comprehensive set we’ve seen the band give and includes all of the 9 tracks from the classic Into The Gap album played in a different order to the tracklisting and we wonder also exactly when LPs became longer – and longer?

We do miss the input of side kicks Currie and Leeway and were heartened to hear in the Q&A that the 3 are still in touch and we’d love to see a gig where all 3 featured.

In the Q&A Bailey hints at the possibility of a new solo record and with a back catalogue like his we’d always be happy to see him live with new songs incorporated into a greatest hits set.

The tour runs through 28 July 2024 and also includes gigs across the UK as well as in the US and Canada so don’t miss your chance to get into the gap.

• Main picture via Facebook courtesy Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey Tickets
• Have you seen a Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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