Erasure, the electronic music duo formed in 1985, has announced plans for a new arena tour across the UK and Europe accompanying their 20th studio album, Radio!! Radio!!. The band’s frontman Andy Bell and keyboardist Vince Clarke have maintained their partnership without a split, hiatus, or public falling out throughout their four-decade history.
Clarke recently experienced significant personal loss when his wife Tracy Hurley Martin died from stomach cancer earlier this year. Bell, who lost his own partner Paul Hickey in 2012, has provided support during this difficult period. The shared experience of grief has strengthened their bond, with both describing their relationship as extending beyond friendship to something resembling a deep family connection.
In a notable departure from tradition, Clarke will not physically join Bell on the upcoming tour. Instead, he will serve as the tour’s musical director while working remotely, with keyboard technician Howard Rider handling synthesizer duties during performances. Clarke confirmed that his wife’s passing is the primary reason for this decision to step back from touring.
The new album represents a stylistic shift for the band, moving away from the synthesizer-heavy sound of their 2020 release The Neon toward arrangements incorporating piano and guitar. Bell indicated the record was inspired by concerns about rapid technological advancement and serves as a call for more peaceful times. The album’s title, with its four exclamation marks, was chosen to convey urgency in this message, despite the band’s general preference for working outside the spotlight—a dynamic that has defined their partnership since their debut album Wonderland.
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