Soft Cell - Danceteria

When the news that 50% of Soft Cell, Dave Ball had died came out in October 2025, shock waves reverberated throughout the music world. Whilst it was common knowledge he had health issues, he had been recently performing to sold out houses and festival audiences with Marc Almond in a rejuvenated incarnation of the subversive pop duo, bolstered by additional backing singers and musicians. They were sounding better than ever and a new album was in the process of being recorded, riding on the wave of an excess of reissues and special editions of their back catalogue. Ball finished putting the final touches to their new album just two days before he passed away. Did he know that his life was coming to a close and that a final musical statement was, therefore, an imperative ? No one will ever know, but that album, Danceteria, their sixth and (now) final studio album released in September 2026 and is every bit as glorious as anything they have ever recorded. In fact, in many ways it is a full circle full stop to the Soft Cell journey Marc Almond describes it as a celebratory "love letter" to early 1980s New York City, specifically the iconic Danceteria nightclub, which captivated the duo during the recording of their debut, “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”. The album revisits their experiences, blending hedonism with the city's edgier side, much like their earlier work. Almond initially believed their previous album would be their last but was thrilled by Ball's more hopeful and layered compositions for “Danceteria”. Tracks like the title song, "Times Square," and "The Rainbow Room" paint a vivid picture of that era. Featuring a cover of Was Not Was' "Out Came the Freaks" with Nona Hendryx, the album closes a significant chapter for Soft Cell, though live performances will continue to honor Ball's musical legacy. In the monologue in the opening track 'Elusive' Almond says "Life is what happens when you are making plans" and "This is going to be remembered". He is right in both cases. Just getting on with it will always trump just planning to get on with it, and there was a clear imperative in getting on with it by recording this album with Ball's health issues. That sense of urgency and purpose is infectiously evident on every track on Danceteria. By returning to the source, the seedy nightlife underbelly of the city, as epitomised by that metropolis of metropolis's; New York, Soft Cell recapture the essence that made them special in the first place. Almond sounds in fine form (possibly technology aided, as live his voice has shown the inevitable signs of age) and lyrically is as sharp as ever. Ball too, is enjoying himself, with the advances in technology since their 80’s debut enhancing, rather than eclipsing, their instantly recognisable analogue sound. Their ability to blend catchy synth lines with a driving dance-friendly beat, yet describe the dark, the sad, the highs and the lows of nightlife at the same time is unique. The title track has all of these. The other twelve tracks keep up the pace, with Almond's lyrics and delivery as warm and soaring as ever, and Ball's compositions as tight as a drum under-pinning them. Soft Cell's consummate skill was to take that seediness and turn it into pop that everyone could love. Tales of sex dwarves, tainted love and bedsitters made their debut album the most subversive record of the 80’s, eclipsing anything that punk ever managed. Just look at the song titles; “Decadence is Hard Work’', “Crackland”, “After Hours”, and “What is Your Morality”. Danceteria isn’t for the masses obviously, but celebrates the perverted, the underground, the disaffected, the broken, the amoral, the street walkers and pimps, the addicts and hedonists, and above all, the un-normality. Regards Jim