Vienna, VA – Did you know there was a time when the “M” in MTV stood for music? Iconic bands… and brands were born and got international attention for both their music and putting the vision behind their music on the screen. On June 30, 2026, the fans at Wolf Trap were not treated to one or two iconic acts from the real MTV era, we were treated to three!! Wolf Trap was at the center of a second British invasion that included Soft Cell and Alison Moyet (Yazoo), with The Human League leading the charge.
The opening act on this night was Soft Cell. Touring for the first time since the death of co-founder David Ball, this was Marc Almond’s way to carry out Dave’s wish to keep the music alive. The set was a blast, especially when looking around and seeing so many people coming together to catch the music that meant so much to them. The power of music is phenomenal.
Their set hand the near capacity crowd on its feet for much of the performance. The final two songs of the night, “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” and “Tainted Love” got huge reactions.
Soft Cell Gallery
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Round two of the British takeover was the queen of Synth Pop (IMO), Alison Moyet. At this point I have to admit, this was my first experience attending an 80s synth pop performance. I knew what the music was all about, but you really get the story and the feeling behind the music when you experience the audience reactions. It was great to see music that had an impact on my life, having an impact on the lives of so many at at this National Park for the Performing Arts. Alison delivered a great performance that included songs such as, “Nobody’s Diary“, “Only You“, and finishing off the set with “Don’t Go“. Check out the video, 80s MTV videos ruled!! This was a perfect setup for The Human League!
Alison Moyet Gallery
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Then it started, emerging onto a pink / red lit stage, keytarists, Nick Banks and Ben Smith, along with drummer Rob Barton materialized. “The Sound of the Crowd“. literally, was music to all our ears. We were well prepared to synthesize the night away with The Human League!
Leading the charge were Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall, and Susan Ann Sulley. The next step of the journey was a look into “The Mirror Man“.
Donning the classic stage attire from years past, they delivered so many classics that made MTV memorable. Bands like the Human League put the music into MTV and the trio did not skip a beat. We were introduced to “Louise” before “Seconds” taking us to the classic, “The Lebanon“.
Something that I thought was quite clever, and eye opening as well, was the repeated quick changes of clothing. One does not realize how the clothing styles related to this genre of music evolved. Philip and the others did a great job of not only reliving the music, but reliving the time as well.
We were given a little “Human” “Love Action” before I got to see the “Fascination“. To round out the main set we were taken back to see a waitress in a cocktail bar, only to ask, “Don’t You Want Me“? As they left the stage,
The Human League Gallery
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The audience did not need to stand for the O, they were already standing. The applause was huge as we beckoned them to return to the stage. Philip and the band re-emerged wearing iconic 80s synth attire. The background was infernoesque as they performed, “Being Boiled” (the background was appropriate) and “Together in Electronic Dreams” to close out the encore. Between songs, Philip reminisced a bit about how being at the top means there will be a time when you are not at the top citing the grunge era and Nirvana. He recalls 1998 joining Culture Club and the VH1 Big Rewind as being their return. This was indeed a special night, giving so many the chance to remember why we all wanted our MTV.
Check out the Disco Remix of “Don’t You Want Me“
Human League Setlist
The Sound of the Crowd
Mirror Man
The Things That Dreams Are Made Of
Louise
Seconds
The Lebanon
One Man in My Heart
Human
Love Action (I Believe in Love)
Tell Me When
(Keep Feeling) Fascination
Don’t You Want Me
Encore:
Being Boiled
Together in Electric Dreams
Show Date: June 30, 2026
