Celebrating DAVID BALL and DEPECHE MODE
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When?
8 November 2025 starting 8:00 am
What?
*** FREE ENTRY *** DOORS 7 PM***DJ Randy Lipz XXXDJ BricolageDJ UltraVelvetDJ Creepy ClawsDAVID JAMES BALL
"He could take electricity and turn it into emotion." - Stevo, Some Bizarre record label.
Tonight we celebrate one of our favourite geniuses in the music world, David James Ball (3 May 1959 – 22 October 2025). Ball was one of the innovators and architects of electronic music.
Forming Soft Cell with Marc Almond in Leeds in 1978, he most notably married his love of Kraftwerk and Northern Soul, spawning the global hit single, ‘Tainted Love’ and later, ‘What’ and ‘Northern Lights’. ‘Tainted Love’ was the single taken from their platinum-selling debut album ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ which was influenced by their experiences in New York, particularly the club scene. They released an additional 5 albums with their 7th release, ‘Danceteria’ due out soon as an homage to New York City’s famous club which heavily influenced them.
Soft Cell’s success in the UK included 12 top 40 hits such as ‘Tainted Love’ ‘Torch’, ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’, ‘What’ and ‘Bedsitter’. Between 1981 and 1984 they also had 4 top 20 albums. Following their split in 1984, Soft Cell reformed in 2001, toured and released a new album. They held a reunion concert in London on 30 September 2018 as a celebration of their 40th anniversary, stating it would be their last live UK performance, however, they may still perform abroad and record together.
Soft Cell's songs have been covered by Nine Inch Nails, Coil, David Gray and many other artists. In 1981, their track ‘Memorabilia’ earned recognition for the band as pioneers of the synth-oriented techno genre. Although the birth point of ecstasy in British music is usually credited to acid house and the second summer of love in 1988, Soft Cell’s debut single ‘Memorabilia’ was recorded a decade prior. Almond has described ‘Memorabilia’ as “the first acid house techno record ever”, melding a strutting disco bass line with a futuristic proto acid-techno beat. The duo’s next step saw them complete their transition to making music on ecstasy, about ecstasy, and enjoying music whilst taking ecstasy. The remix of ‘Memorabilia’ from their remix album ‘Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing’ (1982) is E music and most suitably features a Cindy Ecstasy’s sultry rap, “We could take a pill and shut our eyes and let our love materialise.”
In 1988, Ball formed The Grid with Richard Norris, following work with Psychic TV on the 'Jack the Tab – Acid Tablets Volume One' album. Their first success was with their debut single, ‘Floatation’ (1990), followed by 10 UK hit singles, 4 albums and touring the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia. Their 1994 album 'Evolver' was successful with the lead single ‘Swamp Thing’ featuring elaborate banjo lines played by Roger Dinsdale.
Ball released his solo album, ‘In Strict Tempo’ (1992), featuring Gavin Friday, Genesis P-Orridge and Virginia Astley. He later collaborated with P-Orridge on the soundtrack for the West German film ‘Decoder’, which also featured other Some Bizzare artists.
After Soft Cell disbanded, Ball formed a new band, Other People, with Gini Hewes, his wife at the time, who had previously worked with Almond in Marc and the Mambas, and Andy Astle. They released one single, ‘Have a Nice Day’. In the late 1980s, Ball formed another short-lived band, 'English Boy on the Loveranch' with Nick Sanderson and Jamie Fry. They released two hi-NRG singles, ‘The Man in Your Life’ and ‘Sex Vigilante’.
Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing their album, 'Cruelty Without Beauty'. In 2010, Ball formed the band Nitewreckage with Celine Hispiche, Rick Mulhall and Terry Neale. Their debut single ‘Solarcoaster’ preceded their album, 'Take Your Money and Run'; this album was co-produced and mixed by Martin Rushent. In 2016, Ball and classical pianist Jon Savage collaborated on the experimental electronic album 'Photosynthesis'.
In 2018, Ball and Norris released a new album as The Grid, 'One Way Traffic', which was recorded as part of Moog Music's ‘The Moog Sound Lab’ program, using the Moog modular synthesizers.
In 2021, Ball and Norris collaborated with Robert Fripp on a new album, Leviathan.In addition to his work as a producer, Ball worked with with Vicious Pink Phenomena (who began as a backing duo for early Soft Cell), the Virgin Prunes and the Rose McDowall side-project Ornamental in the 1980s. He later worked with Kylie Minogue, Gavin Friday and Anni Hogan. Ball remixed for David Bowie,Vanessa-Mae and Erasure. Many remixes, including Soft Cell, Minty and Pet Shop Boys were also made with Norris as The Grid. Ball worked with Friday on a cover of Suicide's ‘Ghost Rider‘ for the Alan Vega 70th Birthday Limited Edition EP Series.
Ball and Almond finished their Soft Cell album 'Danceteria' just before Ball's death in October 2025.
DEPECHE MODE
Tonight we celebrate an iconic electronic band, their influence and current film.
DEPECHE MODE: M is a cinematic journey into the heart of Mexican culture's relationship with death, framed by the iconic performances of Depeche Mode during their 2023 Memento Mori tour. Conceived and directed by award-winning Mexican filmmaker Fernando Frias, the film captures the band's three sold-out shows in Mexico City, attended by over 200,000 fans, blending concert footage with interpretive interstitials and archival material.
This film celebrates the band's global influence while delving into the profound connection between music, mortality, and Mexican tradition — a sacred meeting point where pain, memory, joy, and dance dissolve into one another, blurring into something profoundly and beautifully human.
Special Guests:
DJ Randy Lipz XXX, DJ Bricolage, DJ UltraVelvet, DJ Creepy Claws
"He could take electricity and turn it into emotion." - Stevo, Some Bizarre record label.
Tonight we celebrate one of our favourite geniuses in the music world, David James Ball (3 May 1959 – 22 October 2025). Ball was one of the innovators and architects of electronic music.
Forming Soft Cell with Marc Almond in Leeds in 1978, he most notably married his love of Kraftwerk and Northern Soul, spawning the global hit single, ‘Tainted Love’ and later, ‘What’ and ‘Northern Lights’. ‘Tainted Love’ was the single taken from their platinum-selling debut album ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ which was influenced by their experiences in New York, particularly the club scene. They released an additional 5 albums with their 7th release, ‘Danceteria’ due out soon as an homage to New York City’s famous club which heavily influenced them.
Soft Cell’s success in the UK included 12 top 40 hits such as ‘Tainted Love’ ‘Torch’, ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’, ‘What’ and ‘Bedsitter’. Between 1981 and 1984 they also had 4 top 20 albums. Following their split in 1984, Soft Cell reformed in 2001, toured and released a new album. They held a reunion concert in London on 30 September 2018 as a celebration of their 40th anniversary, stating it would be their last live UK performance, however, they may still perform abroad and record together.
Soft Cell's songs have been covered by Nine Inch Nails, Coil, David Gray and many other artists. In 1981, their track ‘Memorabilia’ earned recognition for the band as pioneers of the synth-oriented techno genre. Although the birth point of ecstasy in British music is usually credited to acid house and the second summer of love in 1988, Soft Cell’s debut single ‘Memorabilia’ was recorded a decade prior. Almond has described ‘Memorabilia’ as “the first acid house techno record ever”, melding a strutting disco bass line with a futuristic proto acid-techno beat. The duo’s next step saw them complete their transition to making music on ecstasy, about ecstasy, and enjoying music whilst taking ecstasy. The remix of ‘Memorabilia’ from their remix album ‘Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing’ (1982) is E music and most suitably features a Cindy Ecstasy’s sultry rap, “We could take a pill and shut our eyes and let our love materialise.”
In 1988, Ball formed The Grid with Richard Norris, following work with Psychic TV on the 'Jack the Tab – Acid Tablets Volume One' album. Their first success was with their debut single, ‘Floatation’ (1990), followed by 10 UK hit singles, 4 albums and touring the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia. Their 1994 album 'Evolver' was successful with the lead single ‘Swamp Thing’ featuring elaborate banjo lines played by Roger Dinsdale.
Ball released his solo album, ‘In Strict Tempo’ (1992), featuring Gavin Friday, Genesis P-Orridge and Virginia Astley. He later collaborated with P-Orridge on the soundtrack for the West German film ‘Decoder’, which also featured other Some Bizzare artists.
After Soft Cell disbanded, Ball formed a new band, Other People, with Gini Hewes, his wife at the time, who had previously worked with Almond in Marc and the Mambas, and Andy Astle. They released one single, ‘Have a Nice Day’. In the late 1980s, Ball formed another short-lived band, 'English Boy on the Loveranch' with Nick Sanderson and Jamie Fry. They released two hi-NRG singles, ‘The Man in Your Life’ and ‘Sex Vigilante’.
Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing their album, 'Cruelty Without Beauty'. In 2010, Ball formed the band Nitewreckage with Celine Hispiche, Rick Mulhall and Terry Neale. Their debut single ‘Solarcoaster’ preceded their album, 'Take Your Money and Run'; this album was co-produced and mixed by Martin Rushent. In 2016, Ball and classical pianist Jon Savage collaborated on the experimental electronic album 'Photosynthesis'.
In 2018, Ball and Norris released a new album as The Grid, 'One Way Traffic', which was recorded as part of Moog Music's ‘The Moog Sound Lab’ program, using the Moog modular synthesizers.
In 2021, Ball and Norris collaborated with Robert Fripp on a new album, Leviathan.In addition to his work as a producer, Ball worked with with Vicious Pink Phenomena (who began as a backing duo for early Soft Cell), the Virgin Prunes and the Rose McDowall side-project Ornamental in the 1980s. He later worked with Kylie Minogue, Gavin Friday and Anni Hogan. Ball remixed for David Bowie,Vanessa-Mae and Erasure. Many remixes, including Soft Cell, Minty and Pet Shop Boys were also made with Norris as The Grid. Ball worked with Friday on a cover of Suicide's ‘Ghost Rider‘ for the Alan Vega 70th Birthday Limited Edition EP Series.
Ball and Almond finished their Soft Cell album 'Danceteria' just before Ball's death in October 2025.
DEPECHE MODE
Tonight we celebrate an iconic electronic band, their influence and current film.
DEPECHE MODE: M is a cinematic journey into the heart of Mexican culture's relationship with death, framed by the iconic performances of Depeche Mode during their 2023 Memento Mori tour. Conceived and directed by award-winning Mexican filmmaker Fernando Frias, the film captures the band's three sold-out shows in Mexico City, attended by over 200,000 fans, blending concert footage with interpretive interstitials and archival material.
This film celebrates the band's global influence while delving into the profound connection between music, mortality, and Mexican tradition — a sacred meeting point where pain, memory, joy, and dance dissolve into one another, blurring into something profoundly and beautifully human.
Special Guests:
DJ Randy Lipz XXX, DJ Bricolage, DJ UltraVelvet, DJ Creepy Claws
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