Touched by previous visit, Marc Almond makes a quick return
On his previous visit for a performance here last year, Marc Almond, one of pop music’s more enduring and artistically effervescent acts, is said to have been overwhelmed by emotion right after the show, as he sat backstage. It was one of Almond’s first shows following a car accident that almost proved fatal, and the reception from his considerable following here was particularly warm. Almond, who is currently adding the final touches to a new album, will be making a quick return to Athens for an evening at the Gagarin Club this Saturday. The former frontman of early-1980s electro-pop duo Soft Cell has released a steady supply of quality solo projects since the hit-making act’s split, soon after 1983’s «The Art of Falling Apart,» an album whose title hinted at the internal problems plaguing the band. Combining humor and romance for dark cabaret-type pop, Almond’s lasting quality and appeal was recently acknowledged further by a new three-album contract with Sequel/Sanctuary Records. His forthcoming album, «Stardom Road,» which is expected soon, will feature mostly covers of songs by artists that influenced Almond’s own work, as well as one new original track. «Stardom Road» includes guest appearances from Antony Hegarty, frontman of the enormously popular Antony and the Johnsons, as well as Jools Holland and St Etienne vocalist Sarah Cracknell. For the upcoming Athens show, Almond, who is renowned for his performing skills, will be accompanied by musicians on guitars, piano and accordion.
