Erasure () is an English

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

and a member of synth-pop duo Yazoo. From their fourth single, " Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top-40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the

1989 Brit Awards Brit Awards 1989 was the 9th edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 13 February 1989 at Royal Albert Hall in London. This ye ...

, Erasure won the Brit Award for Best British Group. Beyond this mainstream commercial success, Erasure are also popular within the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and so ...

, for whom the openly gay singer Andy Bell has become an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...

in the UK.

Overview

Erasure made their debut with the studio album ''

Wonderland Wonderland may refer to: Places Municipalities * Wonderland, California, a ghost town in Plumas County * Wonderland, Ohio, a ghost town in Columbus, Ohio, U.S. Roads, streets, and trails * Wonderland Avenue, a roadway in Laurel Canyon, Los A ...

'' in 1986, however it did not perform well chart-wise. With their second release '' The Circus'' the following year in 1987 came major success, the album skyrocketing to a UK number 6 and spawning four top-20 singles. Their third studio album, '' The Innocents'' released in 1988, was rendered a number one and was followed the same year by the Christmas EP ''

Crackers International ''Crackers International'' is a Christmas EP released by Erasure in 1988, in between the albums '' The Innocents'' and '' Wild!''. It reached number-one in Denmark and Argentina and number 2 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. History The ...

'' peaking at number 2. ''The Innocents'' set the scene as being the first in a string of albums to place in the top spot, with their next five long-form releases also reaching the pole position of the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

: the albums ''

Wild! ''Wild!'' is the fourth studio album by British band Erasure. Released in 1989, it was the follow-up album to their 1988 breakthrough '' The Innocents''. The album was produced by Erasure, along with Gareth Jones and Mark Saunders and releas ...

'' (1989) and the Mercury Prize nominated ''

Chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

'' (1991), the

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

tribute EP ''

Abba-esque ''Abba-esque'' is an extended play (EP) by British synth-pop duo Erasure. Released on 1 June 1992, the EP was Erasure's first and only number one on the UK Singles Chart and also became a number-one hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, ...

'' (1992), the compilation ''

Pop! The First 20 Hits ''Pop! The First 20 Hits'' is a greatest hits collection from Erasure, released on 16 November 1992 in Germany and the UK and 24 November 1992 in the United States. The album utilises a straightforward format: all of Erasure's singles up to th ...

'' (1992), then the studio album ''

I Say I Say I Say ''I Say I Say I Say'' is the sixth studio album from synthpop duo Erasure, released in 1994 by Mute Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the US. The album was produced by Martyn Ware, who was a founding member of veteran synthpop groups ...

'' (1994). Erasure's best-known songs are mainly from albums of this period and include "

Oh L'amour "Oh L'amour" is a song by English synthpop duo Erasure, released in April 1986 as their third single. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a lament from someone experiencing unrequited love ''("broke my heart / now I ...

", " Sometimes", " Victim of Love", " The Circus", "

Ship of Fools The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert kn ...

", " Chains of Love", " A Little Respect", " Stop!", "

Drama! "Drama!" is the first single released from English synth-pop duo Erasure's fourth studio album, '' Wild!'' (1989). Written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the synthpop song begins with a low-key keyboard line and a subdued vocal from Bell. As ...

", " Blue Savannah", "

Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

", "

Love to Hate You "Love to Hate You" is a 1991 song by English synth-pop duo Erasure. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, ''Chorus'' (1991). Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is an electronic dance track insp ...

", " Breath of Life", "

Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...

" and " Run to the Sun". Erasure's commercial success began to fade from 1995, with the atmospheric self-titled studio album ''

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

'' which, despite being a critical success, confused its audience. The mixed reception of the following studio album, ''

Cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

'' (1997), confirmed a decline in Erasure's popularity until the studio album '' Loveboat'' (2000), which went almost unnoticed. In the mid-2000s, however, the duo have managed to make a commercial comeback in some European countries and in the United States, notably thanks to their cover album '' Other People's Songs'' (2003), followed by the studio album '' Nightbird'' (2005), which won back fans. This return to favour gave the band their last two commercially successful singles: "

Solsbury Hill Little Solsbury Hill (more commonly known as Solsbury Hill) is a small flat-topped hill and the site of an Iron Age hill fort, above the village of Batheaston in Somerset, England. The hill rises to above the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon ...

" (2003) (a Peter Gabriel cover) and " Breathe" (2005). In the late 2000s, Erasure began briefly a new commercial decline with the acoustic album '' Union Street'' (2006) followed by '' Light at the End of the World'' (2007) and '' Tomorrow's World'' (2011), and the Christmas album '' Snow Globe'' (2013). Erasure have maintained their return to the top 20 album charts with studio albums '' The Violet Flame'' (2014), '' World Be Gone'' (2017) and '' The Neon'' (2020). Despite the singles from this decade not managing to reach the charts, however, a solid international fanbase enables Erasure to maintain its activity through touring and online sales, as well as the royalties attached to the catalogue of their past successful records. Achieving mainstream success at home in the UK, Erasure also has a strong following abroad, especially in some European countries—mainly in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Sweden. Surprisingly, Erasure has a broad audience in some South American countries, especially in Argentina, Chile and Peru. In the US, Erasure had three successful singles: " Chains of Love" (1988) at number 12, their biggest chart placing ever in that country, " A Little Respect" (1988) at number 14, and "

" (1994) at number 20. In Russia, as well as in the former Soviet bloc countries, Erasure is mostly known for the sole song "

" (1991). In France, "

" (1986) was the band's only successful single, peaking at number 14 in the singles top 50 of that country, followed by " Sometimes" (1986) that underperformed at a low number 39 (in February 1987) and still remains to this day Erasure's last entry in the French singles chart. Overall in their career, Erasure have penned over 200 songs and have sold over 28 million albums worldwide.

History

Origins

As a teenager, Vince Clarke was inspired to make

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

after hearing Wirral synth band

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboar ...

(OMD). He was a founding member of

and the sole writer of their first three singles, including the breakthrough top 10 single " Just Can't Get Enough". After leaving the band in late 1981, Clarke forged a similarly notable career with the duo Yazoo (known as ''Yaz'' in the United States). After two successful studio albums in as many years (1982–1983), he split with Yazoo partner Alison Moyet and formed the short-lived project

the Assembly The Assembly were a British synth-pop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England, by Vince Clarke (songwriting, keyboards, backing vocals) and Eric Radcliffe (songwriting, production). Feargal Sharkey was hired as a guest vocalist for the ...

with producer

Eric Radcliffe Eric Charles Radcliffe (often credited as E.C. Radcliffe - born 3 December 1950) is an English recording engineer and producer who worked with new wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England. He later became owner of Blac ...

. The project spawned a UK number-four single, " Never Never", featuring

Feargal Sharkey Seán Feargal Sharkey (born 13 August 1958) is a singer from Northern Ireland most widely known as the lead vocalist of punk band The Undertones in the 1970s and 1980s, and for solo works in the 1980s and 1990s. His 1985 solo single "A Good ...

on lead vocals. Clarke then released another single with vocalist Paul Quinn, " One Day". It flopped, leading Clarke to place an advertisement in ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' looking for a vocalist for a new musical project.

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

-born Andy Bell phoned and got a call back a few days later. Bell practiced for the audition listening to Alison Moyet, Siouxsie and the Banshees and

the Communards The Communards were a British synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985. The duo consisted of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles. They are most famous for their cover versions of " Don't Leave Me This Way", originally by Harold Melvin & the Bl ...

. It went well, and he was chosen. Clarke had been his hero. Erasure's influences include OMD, Kraftwerk, Gloria Gaynor and

First recordings and international success: 1985–1994

Erasure's first three singles were commercial failures in the UK, although the third, "

", charted well in Australia and a few European countries (especially in France, where it still remains Erasure's only hit to date, and Germany where it was a Top 16 success). Their debut studio album, ''

'', was mostly recorded in 1985 and released in June 1986. Although it only made the UK top 75, it made a sizeable mark in Germany, making the top 20. It was the release of their fourth single, " Sometimes", which finally received recognition in the UK in late 1986. The song peaked at number 2 in the UK and Germany and spent many weeks in the UK top 40, marking the beginning of a long string of major hits for the duo. The single's parent album, '' The Circus'', was released in March 1987 and reached number 6 and turned platinum in the UK with three additional hit singles: "

It Doesn't Have To Be "It Doesn't Have to Be" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 16 February 1987. It was issued as a single six weeks before the release of the duo's second studio album, '' The Circus'' (1987). Following the number-two UK placin ...

", " Victim of Love", and " The Circus". The album remained on the charts for over a year. Erasure's third studio album, '' The Innocents'', was released in April 1988. Preceded by the top 10 single "

", the album hit number one in the UK on its initial release and returned to the summit a year later, eventually going double platinum. It also turned platinum in the U.S., generating two top 20 hits in " Chains of Love" and " A Little Respect". ''The Innocents'' was the first of five consecutive number one albums for Erasure in the UK, including the greatest hits compilation ''

Pop! The First 20 Hits ''Pop! The First 20 Hits'' is a greatest hits collection from Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince ...

''. In November 1988, the ''

Crackers International ''Crackers International'' is a Christmas extended play, EP released by Erasure in 1988, in between the albums ''The Innocents (Erasure album), The Innocents'' and ''Wild! (Erasure album), Wild!''. It reached number-one in Denmark and Argentin ...

'' EP, hit number 2 in the UK. The albums ''

'' (1989) and ''

'' (1991) both contained four top 20 singles and were major sellers. ''

'' was bettered in 1992 by another EP, ''

'', (covering 4

hits), which became Erasure's first (and to-date only) number one on the

. It featured a video of the duo dressed in ABBA outfits, and was one of the principal drivers of the ABBA revival scene in the 1990s. Also in 1990, Erasure contributed the song "

Too Darn Hot "Too Darn Hot" is a song written by Cole Porter for his musical ''Kiss Me, Kate'' (1948). In the stage version, it is sung at the start of Act 2, and in the 1948 original Broadway production, it was sung by Lorenzo Fuller (as Paul) and Eddie Sle ...

" to the

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

tribute album ''

Red Hot + Blue Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

'' produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

. In 1992, a singles compilation, ''

'', also hit number one and went triple platinum, featuring all the band's singles released from 1985 to 1992. In 1994, Erasure released '' I Say I Say I Say'', their fifth consecutive number one on the

. Its first single, "

", became the band's third top 20 hit in the United States. A second single, " Run to the Sun", was released in July and became their final UK top 10 hit until 2003. " I Love Saturday" was released in November and was the third and final single from the album.

Releases 1995–2007

The October 1995 release of the studio album ''

'' marked a determined shift away from Erasure's signature three-minute synth-pop to a more introspective and experimental sound. Nevertheless, it made the UK top 15 and spawned two UK top 20 singles, " Stay with Me" and "

Fingers & Thumbs "Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure. It originally appeared on the soundtrack to the documentary film '' Wigstock: the Movie'', as "Cold Summer's Day". The duo re-recorded it for their seventh studi ...

". A remixed version of " Rock Me Gently" was released only in Germany and the Czech Republic as the third single. In spite of a return to three-minute pop songs, the 1997 studio album ''

'' did not restore the success of their 1986–1994 era. ''Cowboy'' enjoyed a short-lived success, peaking at number 10 in the UK but lasting only two weeks in the UK top 40. In the U.S. '' Billboard'' charts though, it was one of their most successful records. The first single " In My Arms" reached number 13 in the UK and entered the top 2 on the U.S. Dance chart. The second single " Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" made number 23 in the UK. The third single "

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

" was also only released in Germany and the Czech Republic. In October 2000, Erasure released their ninth studio album '' Loveboat'', co-produced with

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

, though only peaking at a lowly number 45. The first single was "

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

", which made a brief entry into the UK top 30. In 2001, they released a limited EP, '' Moon & the Sky'' containing new versions of the title song, a cover of

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

song "

Baby Love "Baby Love" is a song by American music group the Supremes from their second studio album, '' Where Did Our Love Go''. It was written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland and was released on September 17, 1964 ...

" and some acoustic versions of ''Loveboat'' songs. The 2003 release ''

Other People's Songs ''Other People's Songs'' is a cover album by English synth-pop duo Erasure released on 27 January 2003. The album was originally conceived as a solo project for singer Andy Bell. Once Vince Clarke, the other member of Erasure, became involved ...

'' was a collection of

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s. Its first single, a cover of Peter Gabriel's song "

", reached the UK top 10, and Erasure were invited to perform on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' for the first time since March 1997. The second single from the album was a cover of

Steve Harley Steve Harley (born Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice; 27 February 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still tours, albeit with frequent and significant personnel changes. Ea ...

's "

Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1975 by EMI as the lead single from the band's third studio album ''The Best Years of Our Lives''. The song was written b ...

", which made number 14 in the UK. In 2003, a new 'best of' compilation was released, called ''

Hits! The Very Best of Erasure ''Hits! The Very Best of Erasure'' is the second greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 20 October 2003 by Mute Records. Capitalising on a resurgence of Erasure's music after their successful covers album ''Other P ...

''. Included was a new version of the 1986 song "Oh L'amour" — originally a commercial flop in the UK, this new version charted in the top 15. Erasure's 2005 studio album '' Nightbirds first single, " Breathe", reached number 4 in the UK charts (their first top 5 hit in more than a decade) and achieved the number one position on the U.S. Dance chart, 18 years after their first chart-topper. The next single, " Don't Say You Love Me", which made the UK top 15, enabled purchasers to configure their own remixes of the single through the band's website, with each variant of the song limited to a single download. The third single was a double A-side, featuring new versions of " Here I Go Impossible Again"/"

All This Time Still Falling Out of Love "All This Time Still Falling Out of Love" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keybo ...

". '' Union Street'' was a 2006 side-project which featured a collection of previously released album tracks that the band re-interpreted in an acoustic and

country & western Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

style. The album was named after the recording studio in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

where it was recorded. Andy, Vince, and the ladies

The duo then released a more 'dance-oriented' album than some of their more recent work. Titled ''

Light at the End of the World ''Light at the End of the World'' is the thirteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 14 May 2007 by Mute Records. The album's release was announced on the band's website on 26 January 2007 in a video message from membe ...

'', the album was produced by Gareth Jones and was released on 21 May 2007 in the UK, and in North America the following day. The album was preceded by its first single " I Could Fall in Love with You", which peaked at number 21 in the UK. A second single, "

Sunday Girl "Sunday Girl" is a song recorded by the American new wave band Blondie, from the band's 1978 album ''Parallel Lines''. Written by guitarist Chris Stein, the song was inspired by Debbie Harry's cat, who was named Sunday Man—the cat had recentl ...

", was released in June and made number 33 in the UK. The album was supported by the Light at the End of the World Live tour. The '' Storm Chaser'' EP included an exclusive B-side, "Early Bird", a duet with

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Releases 2009–2019

Total Pop! The First 40 Hits ''Total Pop! The First 40 Hits'' is a greatest hits collection from Erasure, released on 23 February 2009 by Mute Records.Erasure.Club ''Erasure.Club'' is a remix EP by English synth-pop duo Erasure. Featuring six remixes (four previously commercially unavailable), it was released on by Mute Records. In 1990, Mute released a series of rare promotional Erasure 12" singles, usi ...

''. To celebrate 21 years since its release, the album ''The Innocents'' (1988) was remastered and re-released on 26 October 2009. Andy Bell released his second solo studio album, '' Non-Stop'', on 7 June 2010. In February and March 2010, the song "

" enjoyed an unexpected peak of popularity among

flash-game A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Some browser games are also available as mobile game, mobile apps, PC gam ...

players for its prominent role as the soundtrack of the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

game ''

Robot Unicorn Attack ''Robot Unicorn Attack'' is an endless running video game released by Spritonin Media Games on February 4, 2010. In the first week after its release, the game garnered one million plays. Following Robot Unicorn Attack, Adult Swim released three ...

''. Vince Clarke stated in radio interviews that the band wanted to complete the concept album of

nursery rhymes A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From t ...

that they had been working on for some time. On 16 December 2010, Erasure's official website announced a new studio album planned for release in summer 2011 to be produced by

Frankmusik Vincent James Turner (born 9 October 1985), better known by his stage name Frankmusik ( ) (and between 2011 and 2012, by the name Vincent Did It), is an English synth-pop musician. Early life Vincent was born on 9 October 1985 in the Thornton H ...

. Also, a world tour was announced (including the

Ultra Music Festival Ultra Music Festival (UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that takes place during March in Miami, Florida, United States. The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes. It was first held on Miami Beach, ...

in Miami, Florida in March 2011 and the Total Pop! Forest Tour of the UK in June and July 2011) with dates including stops in Europe and South America. Erasure played a 27-date US and Canada tour, as well as at

Estadio Monumental "U" The Estadio Monumental (''Monumental Stadium'') is a football stadium in the district of Ate in Lima, Peru. It is the home of Club Universitario de Deportes, and it was opened in 2000 to replace the Estadio Teodoro Lolo Fernandez. Its only lega ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, Peru on 18 August. The Tomorrow's World Tour began on 31 August 2011 in Tampa, continuing through September, and finished in Seattle on 6 October 2011. The UK and European leg of the Tomorrow's World tour began on 12 October 2011 in Leicester, UK, continuing through to 14 November 2011 in Dresden, Germany. On 20 June 2011, it was confirmed via their official website that their new studio album was to be called ''

Tomorrow's World ''Tomorrow's World'' is a former British television series about contemporary developments in science and technology. First transmitted on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The ''Tomorro ...

''. This album was released on 3 October 2011 (11 October 2011 in the US). The first single from the album was "

When I Start To (Break It All Down) "When I Start To (Break It All Down)" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in 2011 as the lead single from their fourteenth studio album ''Tomorrow's World''. The song was written by Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, and produced by Fr ...

". The album reached number 29 in the UK, number 35 in Germany and number 61 in the US. The second single from ''Tomorrow's World'', " Be with You", peaked in the top 10 on the US

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, making it their highest peak since "Breathe" in 2005. The third and final single from the album, " Fill Us with Fire" was released on 12 March 2012. Erasure toured internationally in 2011; it was one of their longest tours and included visits to some places for the first time, including Russia and Ukraine. They also did a whole South American Tour, including two shows in Buenos Aires, where they last performed in 1997 during the Cowboy Tour. On 11 November 2013, Erasure released their first Christmas album, ''

Snow Globe A snow globe (also called a waterglobe, snowstorm, or snowdome) is a transparent sphere, traditionally made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a town, neighborhood, landscape or figure. The sph ...

''. The first single from the album was a cover of the 1973 Steeleye Span track "

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" which was available as a digital download from 28 October, in advance of the single's full release as a CD and download bundle on 9 December. The track was available in the US on 29 October. On 27 May 2014, Erasure announced their sixteenth studio album for a September 2014 release, a 10-track record titled ''

The Violet Flame ''The Violet Flame'' is the sixteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released by Mute Records on 22 September 2014 in the United Kingdom and on 23 September 2014 in North America. Overview The album contains original tracks writt ...

''. Released on 22 September 2014 and produced by

Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for arti ...

, it entered the

at number 20, giving the duo their first top 20 album since ''

'' in 2003. In October 2015, in order to celebrate their 30 years in the music industry, Erasure released an updated version of "Sometimes" as a single and a new compilation album entitled '' Always: The Very Best of Erasure''. Release dates were 23 October and 30 October 2015. On 29 July 2016, Erasure announced that they would be continuing their special series of releases to mark their 30th anniversary with the autumn release of an anthology box-set entitled '' From Moscow to Mars''. On 23 February 2017, Erasure announced that their seventeenth studio album would be titled '' World Be Gone'' and would be released via Mute on 19 May 2017. To mark the release, the band would headline three UK shows at Glasgow's O₂ Academy Glasgow on 27 May 2017, Manchester's

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

on 28 May 2017 and London's Roundhouse on 29 May 2017 before embarking on a four-month European tour as special guests of

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

in June, July, August and September. In March 2018, the album ''World Beyond'' was announced, a re-recording of Erasure's previous year's ''World Be Gone'' in a post-classical garb. It was recorded in ten days by Andy Bell and seven musicians from the Brussels-based ensemble Echo Collective. Erasure's album ''World Beyond'' then debuted at No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' Classical Albums and Classical Crossover Albums charts dated 24 March 2018.

2020–present: ''The Neon'' and ''Day-Glo''

On 21 August 2020, Erasure released their eighteenth studio album, ''

The Neon The former Newport Odeon, currently trading as The NEON, is a large Grade II listed building in the city of Newport, South Wales. It is located at the junction of Clarence Place and Chepstow Road on the east side of Newport city centre, near ...

''. The album reached number 4 in the UK and was their highest placed album in the UK charts for 26 years. ''The Neon'' was preceded by the single "Hey Now (Think I Got a Feeling)", which was first heard on BBC Radio 2's ''The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show''. The band stated that they tried to go back to their original sounds. Clarke used some of his older synthesizers and Bell described the new album as "going back to the beginning". On 13 May 2021, Erasure announced the release of "Secrets", a new single available as a one-track stream or download ahead of a new album, ''The Neon Remixed''. The album, a two-disc set of remixes from their eighteenth album, was released on 30 July and also included the single "Secrets". It charted on the

in August 2021 at number 33, with a sales total of 2,255 units and became Erasure's 23rd hit on the UK Albums Chart. The band played a twelve venue tour of the UK in October 2021. In June 2022, Erasure announced the release of their nineteenth studio album, ''

Day-Glo (Based on a True Story) ''Day-Glo (Based on a True Story)'' is the nineteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 12 August 2022. The album was created by reconstructing tracks from the group's previous album ''The Neon'' (2020) and is experiment ...

'', which was stated as being a follow-up to the previous release ''The Neon'' (2020). It was released on 12 August 2022.

Discography

*''

'' (1986) *'' The Circus'' (1987) *'' The Innocents'' (1988) *''

'' (1989) *''

'' (1991) *'' I Say I Say I Say'' (1994) *''

'' (1995) *''

'' (1997) *'' Loveboat'' (2000) *''

'' (2003) *'' Nightbird'' (2005) *'' Union Street'' (2006) *''

'' (2007) *''

'' (2011) *''

'' (2013) *''

'' (2014) *'' World Be Gone'' (2017) *''

'' (2020) *''

'' (2022)

Awards and nominations

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'' , Reissue of the Year , ,

References

External links

Official Erasure websiteErasure YouTubeErasure SoundCloud
* * * {{Authority control Brit Award winners English electronic music duos Electropop groups English new wave musical groups English pop music duos English dance music groups English synth-pop groups British synth-pop new wave groups Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups from London Elektra Records artists Maverick Records artists Mute Records artists Reprise Records artists Sire Records artists Male musical duos New wave duos Articles containing video clips 1985 establishments in England