Andy Howells talks to Neil Arthur ahead of Blancmange’s appearance at Clwb Ifor Bach this weekend.

This Saturday, Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach will be going back to the 1980s as influential electro pop band Blancmange deliver a complete performance their classic 1982 album Happy Families.

For the first time ever, this tour will see Blancmange taking the album to the stage in its entirety. And, never one to stand still, Neil Arthur and Blancmange co-writer Stephen Luscombe have given the songs that won such popular acclaim three decades ago a thoroughly 21st century spin, with a fresh look at an album that influenced so many. Neil

“We did an album called Blanc Burn in 2011 after a 25 year break, putting the album together was great fun,” says Neil, “Id been working in music and Stephen in music production since we left Blancmange it was business as usual except we were doing it under Blancmange and not a film or something like that. We end up with a situation that we’ve got to go out live. Stephen doesn’t do the live touring but yours truly is out there!”

Neil recalled the first night of the tour in Glasgow as going out into the unknown, “I put one foot on the stage and I could feel the warmth of the audience, Somebody said to me afterwards Neil, your like a fish in water, I obviously appeared to feel at home with it and I thoroughly enjoy it.”

To offer fans a new experience, ‘Happy Families’ which features the hits Living On The Ceiling, Waves and Feel Me has been specially re-recorded by Blancmange and rechristened ‘Happy Families too...’ The new physical album, with updated artwork, will be available as a tour exclusive.

Was it easier revisiting the album the band created thirty years ago?

“It did help that the songs were written," laughs Neil, “its not something I've listened to over the years until its come to going out and doing them live, “I decided to source the original sounds for things like the drum parts to get them exactly how I wanted them. I had all these memories I could reprint and relive again in a different way with the head I've got today which is obviously 30 years older not to mention the technology which is available to us. I didn't want to do this unless I could move it forward and this is my way of moving it forward saying thanks to those people its something that’s going to be available as a unique exclusive experience.

Blancmange play Clwb Ifor Bach on November 16 visit clwb.net for ticket details