Heaven 17 Ignite Manchester with a Night of Synth-Powered Glory
- Paul Dixon
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
The O2 Ritz, Manchester 22nd November 2025
WORDS NICKY HUGHES / IMAGES PAULDIXONPHOTOGRAPHY
‘Manchester, What a Way to End a Tour!’
The Ritz in Manchester was buzzing like a November back in 1983 on a Saturday night. DJ Rusty Egan was in town and more than warmed up the room with a blitz of synth inspired classics from the likes of New Order and Joy Division and we were ready to go to heaven.
At 8.30pm, as the lights went down, the chaotic sounds of the Human League’s Introducing welcomed the band on stage to an equally frenetic light show. Then front man, Glenn Gregory joined with the energy of a 20-year old sporting a ‘We Don’t Need This Fascist Groove Thang’ t-shirt and Heaven 17 cap and a diamond encrusted bomber jacket. Bling is the new fascist groove thing.
‘Manchester, my second home, without a shadow of a doubt you’re the best crowd we’ve had.’
First up, Crushed by the Wheels of Industry, the fifth and final single from the band’s second studio album, gave a taste of what this well-oiled live music machine had to offer. The loud, pumping base hit you straight in the chest, tempered only by the ‘woo woo’ cries, which were an instant time machine back to the ‘80s, the underground clubs, the avant garde costumes and incredible tunes.
‘This t-shirt has gone super (fucking) viral, Glenn said, ‘we thought we’d brought enough for the whole tour but sold out by show two and had to have more printed.
‘This is also the last Heaven 17 cap available in the universe’ he joked, ‘so I’m going to sign it…’ with that he pretended to signed it Phil Oakey and launched it into the crowd.
Intro-ing the next song, the band’s debut single, We Don’t Need This Fascist Groove Thang, and reminiscing about moving back to Sheffield after The Human League split, Glenn said they wrote the track in five days. ‘40 years later, who’d have known it would be more relevant now than it was then’, he said. There was a reference to the current American president but for the sake of our readership we’ll have to keep it clean (although we were all in agreement with Glenn’s views).
The seminal track had some new energy behind it, reflecting today’s current affairs. On stage, the performance was outstanding, successfully bringing the audience on the journey from the get-go. In the crowd you could feel the renowned Manchester sprung floor thumping under your feet - everything you want from an energetic gig like this.
The harmonies were impeccable and the band’s chants into the crowd, ensured we were fully strapped in for the ride.
Play to Win followed. This was the first song the band had performed on Top of the Pops and the playful, soaring vocals lifted the room even more. ‘What an amazing audience, look at this, what a way to end the tour’ keyboard player and co-founder of the band, Martin Ware said. Glenn joked that he’d searched for hours online of their appearance on TOTP with it….but it seems to have disappeared, along with all of the other shows presented by Jimmy Savile! The crowd erupted in laughter.
Next up was a new song, There’s Something About You, the first new Heaven 17 song for over a decade. The backing track had echoes of Blue Monday but was still classic H17. Strong vocals and a hook of a very catchy chorus kept the crowd on board.
The thumping backdrop to Geisha Boys and Temple Girls got the crowd clapping, whilst the melodic Come Live With Me had them swaying with delight with their phones in the air.
‘We recently supported Boy George and were at the O2 Arena the other night. Back in the day people would get their lighters out to a song like this but instead, 50.000 people held up their torches on their phones, I felt like Taylor Swift’, Glenn joked.
‘That was beautiful, the best of the tour. You sing great, I should be down there watching you’, Glenn said.
We Live So Fast, followed with the band starting out with a playful acoustic version, before going full throttle into the original, much to the crowd’s delight.
A beautiful rendition of And That’s No Lie followed before a moment in the evening when Glenn shared that a crowd member had spoken to him earlier in the day at the VIP, saying that the tickets were bought for her by her husband but sadly he passed away only a week before the gig. Respectfully, the band added Dive to the night’s setlist in his honour.
Another personal moment followed when the band ripped into I’m Your Money with a fantastic Donna Summer mash up in the middle, for super fan, Sumo, who was in the crowd and shared that he had been to 267 H17 gigs. ‘That’s one more that I’ve been to’ Glenn said. ‘There was a gig in Toronto when Vince was so ill so we couldn’t go… but Sumo did!’
Smash hits Let Me Go and Penthouse and Pavement followed with Glenn dancing and shouting ‘Come on, we’re in a nightclub in Sheffield!’. Then came the one that everyone had been waiting for, Temptation, which raised the roof at The Ritz and tested the floor springs to the limit.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house during a beautiful rendition of Party Fears Two in memory of dear friend and former Associates front man Billy McKenzie. Glenn then shared that Billy had given him his first whippet puppy at an after party in the company of the late Robbie Coltrane no less!
The iconic Bowie track, Let’s Dance and Being Boiled bookended the night perfectly as the crowd continued to go wild… ‘Manchester you are feisty’ Martin shouted, which pretty much summed it up.
What a night!
Heaven 17 said they are planning to release their new album potentially in February, or maybe in the spring 2025. We look forward to it very much and to welcome the band back to Manchester to celebrate their new music when they tour it! Heaven 17 have never been and never will be just a Heritage band who are just in it for the pension.
Big love Glenn and Martyn… H17 still relevant and delighting crowds for over 40 years.
SET LIST
1) Introducing
2) Crushed By The Wheels of Industry
3) Fascist Groove Thing
4) Play To Win
5) Something About You
6) Geisha Boys
7) Come Live With Me
8) We Live So Fast
9) And That’s No Lie
10) Dive
11) I’m Your Money
12) Penthouse and Pavement
13) Temptation
14) Party Fears Two
15) Let’s Dance
16) Being Boiled
FOLLOW HEAVEN 17
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