The Human League – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Steve Crabtree, July 2025
Another Friday night at The Piece Hall – another gig to get excited about. This summer’s line-up has been stacked with standout names, and The Human League were always one of the ones I’d circled in bold. Their mix of synth pop, electro beats and iconic hits were guaranteed to go down well with a Yorkshire crowd, and I was excited for it. Especially with that weather – boiling hot, sun still blazing, and a great atmosphere all around Halifax’s most loved venue.
Before heading inside, my mate Lee and I met up in Grayston Unity – a brilliant bar in the town that’s just as passionate about supporting grassroots music as it is about pouring a perfect pint. It’s one of Halifax’s gems – and the perfect pre-gig stop off.
“Hairs standing up on the back of the neck”
Not only was it The Human League that I was looking forward to seeing, but Tom Bailey from The Thompson Twins was one of the support act, and he was already in full swing when we got into The Piece Hall.
With hits like ‘King For A Day’ and ‘Doctor, Doctor’ getting the 6000+ crowd singing and moving. Lee and I found our spot, caught up, and caught a few more rays whilst the rest of the crowd filtered in.
Bailey’s final song of an extended support set was ‘Hold Me Now’ – The Thompson Twins classic – and the entire courtyard joined in with repeating the chorus a few times after the instruments had stopped. It sounded stunning, and was a hairs standing up on the back of the neck moment. Really lovely, and will be one of the most memorable parts of the Live At The Piece Hall season this year.
“Firmly into the 80s”
Slightly later than advertised, The Human League entered the fray at about 9.10pm. There was a build up that began with the drummer, who just whacked out a beat. He was followed by two synth players who put us firmly into the 80s new-wave synth pop mood, before Phil Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley walked on stage and opened with moody and definite ‘The Sound Of The Crowd’.
It was a good start, before ‘Mirror Man’, my favourite Human League tune, came in early as second song and it set us on a night full of synth, electro, pop and hits. ‘Mirror Man’ sounded fresh – perfect for the summer’s day we were all enjoying.
And it was a very upbeat tone for most of the night. ‘Open Your Heart’ was great, ‘Louise’ slowed things up a bit. I enjoyed ‘Soundtrack To A Generation’, and the serious thumping of ‘The Lebanon’ too.
“Bouncing off this music”
Something I was sad about was the omission of ‘Human‘ – a lovely track, and one I was hoping to hear live again… it’s been a number of years. That said, we missed that song but didn’t miss out.
We were all bouncing off this music, and the light shows and displays on the screen accompanying it were so good. Very fitting of the era we’d been taken back to, and the electro feel of the night.
Phil, Joanne and Susan were brilliant with the crowd too. They said a lot, but never said too much. A few flamboyant costume changes here and there kept the look of the band fresh as well.
“Arms raised”
The three final songs of the main set were some of the big ones. ‘Tell Me When’, ‘(Keep Feeling) Fascination’, and – of course – ‘Don’t You Want Me’. We were all singing and dancing to all of them, but especially that last one. The moment you hear those first few sounds, you know exactly what’s coming – and you’re instantly all in.
It was electric. Euphoric, even. The whole place erupted into a movement and joy – but then came the encore.
‘Together In Electric Dreams’ closed the night, and what a way to do it. This was the tune that lifted everything even higher. The entire courtyard became one giant feel-good dance and singalong – arms raised, beaming faces everywhere. If there was a scale measuring happiness, it would’ve blown right off it.
I walked away from this one genuinely buzzing. Seeing The Human League again was special in itself – but seeing them in my home town, at my favourite venue, on a perfect summer night? That’s the kind of gig that stays with you.
Images: Cuffe & Taylor and The Piece Hall
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
