Who has the look? Iconic 80s act ABC returns to the Bay Area
Martin Fry is as exciting on Zoom as he is on the amazing ABC albums from the 80s.
The eternally brave frontman – known for giving voice to such heartfelt new wave gems as “The Look of Love” and “Poison Arrow” – our video interview begins by giving me a tour of his home office.
“It’s my collection of bikes,” Fry says, pointing to a series of cool two-wheeled engines hanging in hooks in the background. “Sometimes people think I’m in the back shed, but no, I’m inside my Edwardian house in central London.”
He also shows off the art on his wall, where the highlight is a vintage Sex Pistols tour poster.
“I stole it from a wall in Sheffield and I think it’s worth a lot of money now,” the vocalist notes.
It’s a fun introduction to the interview that was conducted prior to ABC’s long-awaited return to California this month. The band – which released the stunning debut album “The Lexicon of Love” in 1982 – will perform on November 16 at Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco. The show is at 8pm, and tickets cost $ 49.50- $ 50, apeconcerts.com.
Q It’s so nice to talk to you, Martin. Thank you for showing me around your office via Zoom. I want to do the same and then you can see some of the music memorabilia that are on my walls. (Lifts the camera up so Fry can look around.)
ONE You have Roxy Music “Stranded” up there, right?
Q I certainly do. I just love that album.
ONE I ran into (Roxy Music guitarist) Phil Manzanera about two weeks ago at a Q&A in Brighton on the coast. I met Phil Manzanera before – he played a couple of ABC songs many years ago. But it was great to be able to tell how much I love that (“Stranded”) record – “Amazona”, “Mother of Pearl.” His guitar playing is great, right?
Q Absolutely. He’s one of my favorites. And it does not surprise me to hear that you are also for Roxy, given how often you have been compared to the band’s talented crooner, Bryan Ferry. Was Roxy Music a big musical influence for you?
ONE Yes, Roxy Music, David Bowie, Marc Bolan, T. Rex, glam rock. So I used to go to soul clubs and listen to a lot of Motown, Stax, Atlantic in the 70s. It was a kind of fusion of the two worlds.
When we first started making records, we wanted to sound different from the other bands in Sheffield. We were from Sheffield in the north of England – Steel City. In Sheffield were Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Def Leppard – played bars.
That’s where the tuxedos came from, and the shiny suits and the whole of Cole Porter, Sinatra’s end of things, in a modern setting, came from – to try to win these people up.
Being in a band when you are young is great – because you can win people over. It is basically shock and awe. You walk into a bar and try to wind down all your guys.
Q What was the original goal when you put ABC together? What kind of band would you want ABC to be?
ONE I loved Joy Division and Cure and the Human League. But I also loved Chic and Sister Sledge and Earth Wind & Fire. There is a whole northern soul tradition in England. Back in the late 70s, it mixed the two worlds.
But it all really came out in punk rock. I loved Siouxsie and Banshees and Pistols and Clash and all that era. I have managed to live through many great musical ages. I love it.
Q Next year marks the 40th anniversary of your amazing debut album, “The Lexicon of Love.” Is it hard to wrap your head around the fact that the album – which is still your most famous work – was released so long ago?
ONE How did it happen? Forty years? No way. You are lying to me.
Yes, ’81 -’82 we started making “Lexicon of Love” and then it came out. Since then – yes, a blur.
The last 10 years have been interesting, going back on stage and playing with my contemporaries from a long time ago. I just toured with Adam and the Ants, OMD, Howard Jones, Kim Wilde in the UK. I do not know. It’s a strange feeling to be a survivor. But I think we’re all like that now anyway, right? After lockdown.
Q Why do you think “The Lexicon of Love” struck such a tone in public?
ONE It was our first (album). Sheffield is a difficult place to get through. So you knew that if you did not leave, then so be it. There was an air of desperation. So we threw everything into it.
We had this pretty big hit in the UK with “Tears Are Not Enough”. But we heard Trevor Horn’s production on some Dollar records, and we just thought they were amazing. So we approached him to make the record.
Part of the appeal of that record now is that (it contains) kind of inflated, emotionally charged songs about a broken heart.
Q I have very specific and very important memories associated with your music from the 80s. How does it make you feel when you hear people tell you that your songs are the soundtrack to the first kisses and gala nights and stuff like that?
ONE It’s really touching – because as soon as you make a record, write a song, it’s public domain.
We had a really strong race for about 10-12 years. Back in the ’90s, I was wandering around a bit thinking, “Look at all the other bands that exist. You’re out of sync.” There is always a period for an artist – including the Rolling Stones and Elton John – where you are completely and utterly out of sync with popular tastes.
Q ABC actually stopped in the early 90s, but would return by the end of the decade. By that time, the 80s nostalgia had come into the picture.
ONE We started playing shows (again) around the 2000s, and I looked into the audience, and I could see that people were really touched by some of those songs – like “All of My Heart.”
I also realized that the audience had grown older and they had lived through a few marriages, a few divorces or mortgages or houses going downstream. All that kind of drama in people’s lives is there. But somehow music still has a power – a power of the good. I never underestimate that.
I think it’s the best thing about having a hit record – having success all over the world with one record. I’ve made a lot of music – some things are successful and some things are not. But I think that’s what a hit record does. It affects people’s lives. I never underestimate that. I really do not.
Q When I found out I was going to interview you, I immediately put on “All of My Heart”. What happened next is what always happens to me with that song – I just overflowed with emotion. Did you know that song was something special when you recorded it?
ONE With “All of My Heart” it started as a country and western song – with a steel guitar. So we decided to put the orchestration on. So it got a little bigger and bigger and bigger every hour.
It feels finished, it. And it’s also a beautiful song to sing live.
I do not know. I’m mystified by songs. That’s why I still write songs. I’m an old guy now, but… you’re always chasing something.
Q Is the ending of “The Look of Love” as fun to sing on stage as it seems? You know where you’re going for the whole “hip hip hurray-yay, yippee aye, yippee aye yay-yay” part.
ONE For some reason, the audience loves that moment in that song. I have only been criticized once. I was in John Henry’s rehearsals, and a guy came over and said, “I’m from Texas. What are you doing with yippee-aye?” I kind of had to defend myself – “Oh, it’s just a spontaneous moment.”
I always liked the kind of music that is really uplifting and really stupid and smart at the same time. I think there’s a lot of that going on with “Look of Love.”
It’s a bit very camp, but also very serious at the same time. I love that balance.
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