Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Two influential English artists from the 1980s who just so happen to share the same first name, Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey and Thomas Dolby, finally joined forces for an American tour after what feels like forever.

Given the winning combination and infrequency of their appearances on this soil, the House Of Blues was crowded to catch both new wave innovators and their bands go back to the days when MTV was TikTok and actual malls were Amazon.

Though the occasion marked the 40th anniversary of the Thompson Twins’ landmark “Into The Gap” album and final night of this particular outing, selections such as “The Gap,” “You Take Me Up” and “Doctor! Doctor!,” plus those from a few surrounding projects, felt remarkably fresh and surely rubbed off on many of the subsequent electronic artists.

Bailey and his all-female band came across exactly like their leader’s original group, and given the fact that they haven’t performed together since 1987, he’s filling a much-needed void in recalling such contagious catalogue cuts as “Love On Your Side, “Lay Your Hands On Me,” “King For A Day” and “Lies.”

The man who explored experimental a variety of vastly experimental projects (Babble, Kolab, Holiwater Band, BSP, International Observer) even put a personal spin on Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” featuring Dolby as a guest, and of course, closed with the extended version of “Hold Me Now” as faithful loudly responded to every classic call and response.

Dolby certainly racked up a handful of huge hits as well, but also switched gears to regularly compose for film and video games, on top of producing, teaching, developing software and exploring virtual reality.

He nonetheless returned to “The Golden Age Of Wireless” to recall his own “Europa And The Pirate Twins,” “One Of Our Submarines,” “Hyperactive!” and the George Clinton-penned “Hot Sauce,” in addition to choice covers of New Order’s “Blue Monday” and David Bowie’s “Heroes.”

It could’ve probably went without saying “She Blinded Me With Science” was the inventive Dolby’s runaway crowd pleaser, who along with the pop brilliance of Bailey, brought nothing but a blast of flashbacks that still resonate today.

For additional information on Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey and Thomas Dolby, visit ThompsonTwinsTomBailey.co.uk and ThomasDolby.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the House Of Blues include Kesha (Jul. 31); Megan Moroney (Aug. 1); Cannons (Aug. 2); Tate McRae (Aug. 3); Veil Of Maya (Aug. 5); Brat Rave (Aug. 9); Bastardane and Otto (Aug. 10); Crown The Empire (Aug. 11); Sapphira Cristál (Aug. 15); Shenseea (Aug. 16); Colde (Aug. 17); The Script (Aug. 23); Gimme Gimme Disco (Aug. 24); Subtronics (Aug. 30); Illenium (Aug. 31) and Two Friends (Sept. 1). For additional details, visit HouseOfBluesChicago.com.

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