ABC have been regulars on the live circuit for several years now, most recently touring their 1982 classic album, The Lexicon of Love. While still a must have band at a Retro/Rewind/Eighties style festival, they are also capable of selling out whole tours on their own merit as their current 2024 jaunt around the country has proven.

These days ABC are basically a Martin Fry solo project – a band of hired musicians who are still in great demand due to the quality of material at their disposal. They are mid-way through their latest outing which finds Fry and band touring with their old friends the Southbank Sinfonia orchestra.

At the Glasshouse last weekend, Fry and company delivered an outstanding evening of smooth, sophisticated entertainment that included the whole Lexicon of Love album plus selected other hits such as When Smokey Sings, over a two set presentation separated by an interval.

The problem with hitting the mother lode with your debut album is following it up. ABC changed direction a couple of times in the mid-eighties with the guitar laden Beauty Stab and the cartoonish How to Be a Zillionaire but with limited success in comparison with their debut. It wasn’t until 2016’s The Lexicon of Love II which very much revisited the original release in sound and style that Fry once again delivered a batch of songs that could compete.

Several of these songs were featured in the first half of the show including Viva Love, The Love Inside The Love and The Flames of Desire and slotted right in next to older tracks like Be Near Me and The Night You Murdered Love.

After the interval, the band delivered the main course, and as expected, the songs backed by the orchestra sounded wonderful. Fry’s voice remains in great shape and with the orchestral strings in full flow on romantic songs like Show Me, The Look of Love and Poison Arrow the evening couldn’t help but delight the audience.

The evening closed in fine fashion with 4 Ever 2 Gether and a singalong to All of My Heart before an encore reprise of The Look of Love.

Photos & Review by David Dunn