Under the low amber lights of the Gramercy Theatre, where time itself seemed to shimmer like champagne in a cut-glass flute, Andy Bell emerged: a dazzling apparition in a suit that may have been spun from shards of cathedral windows. Designed, he told us with a sly smile, by a being known only as “Michael,” the ensemble caught every flicker of the spotlight, scattering colour across the walls as though the night itself had been invited to dance. He’d transformed into a human disco ball.
Andy Bell, the magnetic frontman of synth-pop legends Erasure, whose soaring voice and flamboyant charisma helped define the sound of the 1980s and beyond. For the last four decades, Bell has become an icon of queer visibility and pop theatricality, continuing to enchant audiences worldwide through his solo work. This night was no exception.
Photo: Alice Teeple
The house was packed to its rafters: a jubilant crowd, indeed. From the first notes of Breaking Thru the Interstellar, through the crystalline chime of Blue Savannah and the tender ache of Sometimes, the audience sang every word as if reciting a catechism of joy. Bell, beaming like a benevolent deity of synthpop, waved, bowed, and grinned between verses, his gratitude so palpable it felt like perfume on the air.
Though the setlist leaned heavily into Erasure’s luminous canon: Drama!, Chains of Love, Love to Hate You, Oh l’Amour, there was also room for the newer pages of his story. His solo pieces, such as Heart’s A Liar and Put Your Empathy on Ice, pulsed with a certain weary tenderness; they were postcards from a man who has danced through both ecstasy and exile.
And yet, the moment the opening strains of his latest single – a cover of Xanadu – began to bloom, the night turned incandescent. Where Olivia Newton-John once floated in pastel fantasy, Bell delivered something transcendent: a mirrorball elegy, nostalgic yet unafraid to shimmer anew. His voice, still silken and sure, soared over Dave Audé’s gleaming production, with Jerry Fuentes’s guitar tracing constellations in sound and Sara Tomek’s drums keeping time like a heartbeat beneath the glitter. Chelsea King’s outstanding backing vocals rose behind him, bright and devoted, lifting the room into a collective sigh of pure pop communion.
Photo: Alice Teeple
Photo: Alice Teeple
Photo: Alice Teeple
Photo: Alice Teeple
By the time A Little Respect closed the encore, there was hardly a dry eye in the room. Phones immediately levitated, capturing the moment in countless livestreams. The Gramercy had become a cathedral of light: each chorus a hymn, each synth line a confession of what it means to love in the modern age. Bell stood before his congregation, hands outstretched, radiant and human.
Photo: Alice Teeple
After the final note faded, he descended from the altar of the stage into the arms of his admirers below the nearly century-old theatre. He greeted them not as idols greet worshippers, but as old friends rediscovering youth, offering hugs, laughter, and stories. One fan, quivering with nostalgia, showed him a class photograph from their school days; Bell laughed, eyes bright with memory, and embraced them like a brother lost to time.
Photo: Alice Teeple
Thus ended the first night of the NYC chapter of the Ten Crowns Tour. Andy Bell, eternal dreamer of electric heavens, left the night aglow – proof that pop, when sung with sincerity, still holds the power to make even the jaded believe in Xanadu.
Andy Bell’s Ten Crowns Tour continues in Pittsburgh tomorrow. Here is a complete list of dates—do not miss this spectacle!
Oct 28 2025 — McKees Rocks, PA (Roxian Theatre)
Oct 29 2025 — Bethlehem, PA (The Wind Creek Event Center)
Oct 31 2025 — Red Bank, NJ (The Vogel at Count Basie Center for the Arts)
Nov 1 2025 — Boston, MA (The Wilbur)
Nov 4 2025 — Cleveland, OH (House of Blues)
Nov 9 2025 — Cincinnatti, OH (Bogart’s)
Nov 11 2025 — Indianapolis, IN (Old National Centre)
Nov 13 2025 — New Orleans, LA (Orpheum Theater)
Nov 14 2025 — San Antonio, TX (Aztec Theatre)
Nov 20 2025 — Denver, CO (Summit)
Nov 21 2025 — Park City, UT (Marquis Park City)
Dec 9 2025 — Phoenix, AZ (The Van Buren)
December 10 – San Diego, CA – Music Box
December 12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theater
December 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theater
Andy Bell has released three albums under his own name, alongside two further records as part of his theatrical project Torsten The Bareback Saint. Collaborations have ranged across genres and generations — from British Electric Foundation and Claudia Brücken to Perry Farrell, Boy George, Jake Shears, and, most recently, Debbie Harry. For Ten Crowns, however, Bell turned to long-time friend and collaborator Dave Audé.
Bell’s ascent began with a classified ad in Melody Maker, placed by Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly). The audition that followed set in motion one of pop’s most enduring duos. Erasure went on to sell over 20 million albums, score five UK number one records, win Best British Group at the BRIT Awards, and earn the Attitude Icon Award. Their 2020 release The Neon reaffirmed their place in the cultural bloodstream as it debuted at #4 on the UK Official Albums Chart. Earlier this year, Bell received the ICON Award at the PEUGEOT Attitude PRIDE Awards Europe 2025.
Photo: Alice Teeple
Produced in Nashville and inspired by both the dancefloor and gospel tradition, Ten Crowns marks a radiant chapter in Andy Bell’s career, reaffirming his place as one of pop’s most expressive voices.
Though best known for four decades of synth-pop splendour with Vince Clarke as Erasure (with a new album in the works), Bell also embraced fresh creative ground with Grammy-winning producer and longtime friend Dave Audé. Having already topped the US dance charts with Aftermath (Here We Go) and True Original, the pair continued writing, almost as an experiment, until Audé relocated to Nashville. The shift in setting sparked a gospel-tinged twist, rooted in Bell’s childhood memories of choirs and cathedral school. Ten Crowns is electric, euphoric, and urgent, chasing meaning as life speeds forward.
“I mean, I’ve got everything I could possibly wish for, you know, I really have, but that’s not to say I’m always fulfilled,” says Bell. “This album’s about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, embracing life – and about taking that feeling on even when you’re fighting demons in the world, like homophobia, and fighting demons in yourself. It’s about being celebratory and uplifting.”
Bell’s four decades of creative partnership with Vince Clarke in Erasure also remain in full flight: a new album is in the works as the duo prepare to celebrate their 40th anniversary next year.
Listen to Ten Crowns below and order the album here:
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Photo: Alice Teeple
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