|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
THE HUMAN LEAGUE
Returns to Southern California
January 27th, 2026 by Shane Pase
It’s been a long time coming, but The Human League is finally heading back to the States. The Sheffield synth-pop pioneers haven’t done a proper coast-to-coast American tour since 2011, and they’re making up for lost time with the Generations Tour, which stops at the Hollywood Bowl on June 4th.
And they’re not coming alone—Soft Cell and Alison Moyet are joining them for what might be the most perfectly curated bill of British new wave royalty you’ll see this year.
For those keeping track, The Human League has only played about a dozen US shows in the past decade. That’s it. So, this tour is kind of a big deal for anyone who’s been waiting to hear “Don’t You Want Me” live again or hoping to catch those classic “Dare” tracks in person.
The band—still anchored by Philip Oakey alongside vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley—has spent recent years doing festival circuits in the UK and Europe, but American fans have been mostly out of luck. Until now.
The Generations Tour isn’t built around new albums or reinventions. It’s a celebration of the music these three acts created in the early ‘80s, when synthesizers stopped being experimental noise and became the sound of pop radio.
The Human League practically wrote the playbook for synth-pop with “Dare” in 1981, turning futuristic sounds into massively catchy songs that still hold up today. Expect the hits—“Human,” “(Keep Feeling) Fascination,” “Love Action”—plus probably some deeper cuts for the faithful.
Soft Cell brings a different kind of energy to the bill, though the show will carry extra weight this year. Instrumentalist Dave Ball passed away in October 2025, just days after completing the duo’s final album “Danceteria,” which is set for release this summer.
Marc Almond is continuing under the Soft Cell name as a tribute to his collaborator of nearly 50 years.
You’ll get “Tainted Love,” “Memorabilia,” “Sex Dwarf,” “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye,” and if we’re lucky – “It’s a Mugs Game,” and “Tears Run Rings.” Obviously, but there’s something poignant about hearing these songs now, knowing the story behind them.
Alison Moyet rounds out the lineup, and unlike the other two acts, she’s actually touring behind recent material.
Her 2024 album “Key” reimagined 40 years of solo work alongside two new tracks, and her powerful voice—still one of the most distinctive in pop music—sounds as commanding as it did during her Yazoo days.
She’s been on the road throughout 2025, so expect a well-honed set that balances Yazoo classics with solo highlights.
Three legendary acts, one night, all at the Bowl. It’s the kind of show that doesn’t happen often, especially for artists who’ve been largely absent from American stages. If you’ve been waiting 15 years for The Human League to come back, this is your moment, and it’s going to be a great one!
Get your tickets for this one, tickets are on sale now.
TO FOLLOW
SID 260124 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
