Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Longevity can be a double-edged sword to which some find themselves at the wrong end of, instead of wielding it as if the fight has always been enjoyable, they fall awkwardly upon it and cause scratches that never heal, the object too heavy to counter, the weapon of love not sown, and yet it can be so beguiling, that fight can be sensational, it can bring about a new type of respect from those that might not have seen you perform in the heat of battle for the time it takes to change their colours and your armour.

Permanence though is a different matter, permanence is the result of patience, of insight into how your audience will react, and for Tears For Fears, it is the lasting effect that their music has had on the audience that grew alongside them, that took The Hurting as a symbol of the period in which the 80s fractured society was dividing the nation. Then to witness, as so many bands have from that silver age have done so, the resurgence of such love and stamped with authority by the addition of a younger crowd, not one caught up in the initial outpouring of love, but one more considered, confident of their appreciation; a sign that the sword once held aloft will continue to be done so by those taking on the crown and mantle of fan.

It was a signal of the night’s intention at the newly renamed M & S Bank Arena, that Everybody Wants To Rule The World was given two airings, the first as a precursor to the band appearing on stage, as the lights dimmed and the nerves in the crowd settled, the more haunting, feminine aspect of Lorde gave the audience a taste of what oppression, of the soulful cry of a single soul in pain realising the torment that the planet is under sounds like, and then the pounding, resonating choir like machine placing the same words but with a higher tempo and gutsy response as the band came on and performed for Liverpool. This twin dynamic set the scene, it was the opening salvo and volley of music shots that went down a storm.

Across songs such as Secret World, Sowing The Seeds of Love, Change, Break It Down Again, Mad World, Memories Fade, the astounding cover of Radiohead’s Creep, Head Over Heels and the furious, cathartic stomp of Shout joining Woman In Chains in the encore, Tears For Fears shook the cold, bitter blast that had got into the bones of the city by the Mersey and given it reason to look the new year in the eye and let out a primal scream, the rage of anger in harmonious tone, as the battleground for the heart and mind of the nation is fought over in this coming year.

A superb evening of music, a night of tremendous realisations, all set down with love.

Ian D. Hall