I want to post this memory from the 02 Arena, 3 Oct 2018. It was the first time we’d performed in nearly 17 years and it was meant to be the last... as it turned out it wasn’t to be and I'm glad it wasn't because we still had some more to do, we just didn't realise it at the time.
I picked this memory because I think it was probably our most emotional and arguably our greatest moment. In an Arena show where there are bells and whistles, smoke and mirrors, lights, visuals, singers and added players, I felt the last moment should come down to just me and Dave, how we started, a singer and a synth player that set a blueprint for other British bands that came after. Such a nice and simple combination. Like a cabaret duo on a sea front promenade pub or bar singing current hits and standards with a bontempi organ and an over reverbed mic.
I went and stood next to Dave so the cameras could get the money shot and the focus would just be on the pair of us. The Arena lit up with phones, over 20,000 people singing along, it was a magic moment and what it’d all been about in the first place.
Goodbye Dave and thank you, Soft Cell was yours, I was just the singer 🎤 🎹 ❤️
Marc Almond
