Carol Decker and T’Pau may seem an unlikely band of gay icons, but in 1987 they and their music were my gay teenage saviours. The album Bridge of Spies, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, saw me through my lonely angsty teenage years. I’d spend hours every week locked in my room “climbing the walls” with only these recordings for company.
This multi-disc re-mastered release of their multi-platinum selling debut outing can only ensure that they remain in our conscience for a little whole longer yet. Including the original album in full, all the big hitters are here, most notably China in Your Hand, Heart and Soul, and Valentine, but also the often radio neglected but equally magnificent I Will Be With You and the studio version of Sex Talk a live recording of which just missed the top 20 in spring 1988.
T’Pau, fronted by the formidable Carol Decker are a band enjoying something of a renaissance since a successful 25th Anniversary Tour in 2013. Their return to the touring arena has not least of all revealed something of an LGBT following, cemented by this one-off acoustic show at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT).
To the uninitiated Carol Decker and T’Pau are remembered for a smattering of hits most notably China In Your Hand and Heart & Soul. The stylistic gulf between those two international smashes should be a reasonable indication of the versatility of a band who at the time were not always afforded the critical appraisal they deserved.
T’Pau, fronted by the vivacious Carol Decker shot to fame in the late 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits, most notably Valentine, Heart & Soul, China In Your Hand and I Will Be With You.
