The Human League review – immaculate electro pop as radiant now as it was 40 years ago

AO Arena, Manchester
Philip Oakey’s voice remains rich and pristine and sets the tone for an evening of timeless era-defining tunes

The sound of immaculate synthesisers begins to whir and echo through the air, as electronic innovators the Human League take to the stage, before a familiar hypnotic pulse sets in and the irresistible Love Action (I Believe in Love) bursts to life. Philip Oakey’s voice remains rich and pristine and it immediately sets the tone for an evening of immaculate electro pop music delivered with grace, precision and elation.

Despite once being regarded as the epitome of synth-washed futurism, tracks such as Mirror Man are a beautiful example of the group’s clear love of the 1960s, with its unquestionable Motown strut being spun into slick electronic soul and with Oakey’s voice working in seamless harmony with those of Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall.