Erasure postpones Jan.-Feb. tour dates; Pittsburgh fans can expect rescheduling

UPDATE: Erasure has postponed its January and February tour dates "as a result of circumstances beyond our control" the duo posted Mon Twitter. "We will announce the rescheduled shows shortly so please hang on to your tickets and we will update you very soon."

The below article published Jan. 7.

PITTSBURGH — Synth-pop heroes Erasure return to the Byham Theater on Jan. 27, looking to turn the Pittsburgh Cultural District theater into a dance party as much as possible these days.

"This will be our first time back in The States in quite awhile," the English band's co-founder and keyboardist Vince Clarke said. "We'll be doing songs obviously from the new album, 'The Neon,' and a lot of stuff from the past and more obscure album tracks. That's the plan."

The pioneering duo's supreme '80s dance-pop song "Chains of Love: and fellow U.S. Top-20 hit "A Little Respect" will get assigned spots in a setlist that's always a snap to compile.

"With all our tours it changes through the course of the tour," Clarke said. "We just find out what works and what doesn't work."

Erasure's stage-show formula is tried-and-true; singer Andy Bell enthusiastically works the crowd while Clarke maintains a stoic demeanor, positioned behind his synthesizers.

Though as with Erasure's uplifting 2018 concert in Pittsburgh, Clarke will find moments to grab the spotlight on guitar.

"I love to spend most of my time hiding behind my keyboard, but yes I'll be featuring on acoustic guitar, too," he said.

As usual, two female backup singers will augment the sound.

"That definitely adds texture. It makes the sound bigger. They also look more interesting visually than I do," Clarke said. "Since we've started touring many years ago, we've always worked with backing singers. In the recordings, Andy does 99 percent of the backing vocals, so we try to recreate that sound when were play live. And these particular ladies — they've been with us for 20 years — so we're all old friends. We just finished a U.K. tour, and one of the nicest things was getting to see everyone again. We have almost the same crew every time, too, and that keeps kind of a family vibe going."

Released in August 2020, "The Neon" debuted at No. 4 in the U.K., representing Erasure's highest chart position in nearly two decades, and earning high-profile coverage from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Esquire, Stereogum and Spin.

Erasure did a guest appearance at Los Angeles' 50th Anniversary digital Pride parade, while music videos for "Nerves of Steel" and "Fallen Angel" featured popular drag queens and LGBTQ+ artists including Amanda Lepore, Candis Cayne, Detox, Widow Von'Du, Manila Luzon, Raja and Heidi N Closet.

"The Neon" has been lauded for their throwback sound, heard on songs like "Diamond Lies" with its ribbiting synthesized beat you practically can feel in your throat.

"For this particular record, on all of the tracks, I'm using a lot of old analog equipment that I'm surrounded by in my studio," Clarke said. "Some of these old synthesizers have quite characteristic sounds, and the way I make music is I do a lot of experimentation, using this old equipment, so hopefully at the end of the day you get a really unique-sounding record."

Lyrical highlights include "Wore out the mirror, but it can see right through me/I gotta get the look/Head for the city, feeling kind of lonely/I gotta play the part" from the craving-a-lover's-touch tune "Hey Now."

Clarke said, "I don't know, it's funny with lyrics because very often when we're writing words they don't really mean anything at the time and they sort of take on a meaning once you start forming the song and playing that song live. So I don't want to be too specific about what those words mean, but hopefully, it evokes some kind of picture in peoples' minds. That's always the idea."

A verse from another new one, "No Point in Tripping":

"Older, wiser/Really doesn't matter

I'm as done as the rest

Break it, wreck it/Tearing down the fences

Put my faith to the test."

Clarke said, "Well, that's universal I think."

In 2020, Clarke got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of the influential British synth-pop group Depeche Mode. He had written Depeche Mode's 1981 debut hit "Just Can't Get Enough" a year before quitting the band that shortly afterward would achieve mainstream success. By then, Clarke had forged the duo Yazoo (known as Yaz in the U.S.), which quickly notched the U.K. hits "Don't Go" and "Situation," both played frequently in U.S. dance clubs.

Yaz only lasted a few years, and so in 1985, Clarke tried a new approach.

"I put an ad in a national (music) newspaper called Melody Maker," he said. "Back then, people really did buy those papers. They were very successful. And there was always wanted columns. You know, like, 'Wanted: A drummer' or 'Wanted: A drum kit' or 'Wanted: A singer."

Clarke's want ad for a singer caught the eye of Bell who auditioned and got the gig that's kept him and Clarke as musical partners for 36 years.

"We were fortunate in the early days, getting quite a lot of airplay with the independent radio stations. That always helps," Clarke said. "We've tended to find the more dance-ier type songs do better in The States. Back in the day, there was more of a club culture and we were certainly part of that."

His recollections of co-writing "A Little Respect" with Bell:

"That was quite fun. The way we used to write, and do occasionally now, is we just sit down with a tape recorder and a guitar, and I'll strum some chords and he'll hum da-di-da's or something. And we came up with this chord progression and he said 'What if we say "A little respect" is the chorus?' Fortunately, we did use it, and as it turns out it was the right decision."

Erasure has trusted its instincts over the span of 18 studio albums.

"We were supposed to start touring immediately after 'The Neon's' release, of course, the pandemic put a stop to that. I think we've had two or three tours canceled over this period of time," Clarke said. "It is a bit odd touring now. It's very strange. But we're looking forward to coming to Pittsburgh. We had a lot of fun there last time as I remember.

"But man, is it going to be freezing cold? If you can put the temperature up a few degrees I'd be very appreciative."

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Tickets are $49.50 and $79.50 for the 8 p.m. show, sold at trustarts.org

Scott Tady is the local Entertainment Reporter for The Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger. He's easy to reach at stady@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @scotttady.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Erasure keyboardist talks past & present ahead of Pittsburgh concert