Doublespeak-(Vince Clarke,Neil Arthur & Benge) (2026)

[Pughie]

Vince Clarke, Neil Arthur & Benge present Doublespeak - The Album: Pre-order now, released May 29th on CD / LP / MC / Digital via London Records: https://doublespeak.lnk.to/albumFB

The band has handpicked 11 of their favourite songs from the past four decades to be dismantled and rebuilt with their unmistakable signature sound, from the likes of Fad Gadget, Young Marble Giants to The Magnetic Fields, ABBA and The Carpenters.

“What’s really stood out for us on this journey is how good these songs are. It’s from doing your own version that you realise what incredible pieces of work they are.” Neil Arthur

“I knew so little about some of these songs that they were like demos to me. They felt like brilliant new songs that you want to get your hands on. I’ve had people do cover versions of my songs and honestly there’s no better tribute. So that’s what we wanted to do here.” Vince Clarke

"For me it was the excitement of hearing these great songs resynthesized into new forms in the studio. It was such an honour to be part of it.” Benge






'DOUBLESPEAK' TRACKLISTING

'Back To Nature' (originally by Fad Gadget)
'Brand - New - Life' (Young Marble Giants)
The Visitors' (ABBA)
'I Can’t Escape Myself' (The Sound)
'Goodbye To Love' (The Carpenters)
‘Rock On' (David Essex)
‘Smoke And Mirrors' (The Magnetic Fields)
'Day Breaks, Night Heals' (Thomas Leer and Robert Rental)
'Gentle On My Mind' (John Hartford)
'Richard!' (Ed Dowie)
‘End Credits' (Laptop)

LEXER EXCLUSIVE





The Colour LP Vinyl album (and bundles that include this product) comes with a bonus 2-track CD Single and is a Lexer Music worldwide exclusive.
The CD single is a 2-track single of two original songs by the band, 'Sunset' and 'Strange Weather'. Both are original songs written and produced by Vince, Neil and Benge.



https://www.lexermusic.com/doublespeak














Another limited vinyl to 200 copies





https://assai.co.uk/products/doublespea ... ktNmuQZM6Q

[Pughie]

Previous Tweets-






Thanks Mike Depaz for photo

[MikeyC]

“Rock On” was also covered by U.S. soap star Michael Damian in the ‘80s! (he went on to star on Broadway in “Joseph”)

[Pughie]

From an interview with Janos Janurik-

VC: There is a new Alka album coming out soon on VeryRecords. The Neil Arthur collaboration is on going. It’s nearly finished but at the moment there is no release date.

[Pughie]

[Pughie]

Posted 18th May 2023-not too much info

[Pughie]

Maybe it’s this album we’ve been waiting for?



Well, looking forward then, what does the future hold for you? Are you already working on the next record or just looking towards the live shows?

Both actually. I’m working on the live show, speaking to the musicians. We’ve got Chris Pemberton coming out and Liam Hutton joining us on stage. I’ve got another project I’ve been doing with Liam, and we’ve got an album that’s finished as well, which is gonna come out next year. There’s another project I can’t really tell you much more about but I’m hoping that’ll be out next year too. There’s another Nil By Mouth in the pipeline, and there’ll be another Blancmange album, but probably not until 2024 with all this other stuff going on. Keeping busy, playing lots of football (very badly) and annoying the family.

https://discover.ticketmaster.co.uk/int ... _9/27/2023

[Pughie]

It seems now is almost the time!





Seven years in the making – but in reality, much longer, right the way back to ’70s radio, ’80s indie labels and the 21st Century analogue synth revolution.

Neil Arthur, Benge & Vince Clarke: This is Doublespeak.

To start your journey, listen to the Spotify playlist here: http://doublespeak.lnk.to/playlistFB

[Pughie]

After more than four decades of near-misses, side roads and unfinished possibilities, Neil Arthur of Blancmange and Vince Clarke are finally set to work together properly under a new project called Doublespeak. The collaboration, which also involves producer Benge, has been teased in a new Blancmange announcement ahead of a special reveal scheduled for March 25 at 10AM.

For fans of British synth-pop, this is one of those partnerships that has always made perfect sense on paper. Arthur and Clarke go all the way back to the earliest days of the scene, when Blancmange supported Depeche Mode in 1981 and the two artists first crossed paths. Over the years, that connection never quite disappeared. Neil Arthur has spoken about a long-running covers project with Clarke and Benge that had been in the works for years, with plenty of stops and starts before nearing completion.

That long history is part of what makes Doublespeak feel significant. This is not a random studio pairing or a one-off guest spot. It is the kind of collaboration that synth-pop followers have been imagining for decades: Arthur’s unmistakable voice and emotional sharpness meeting Clarke’s gift for elegant, melodic electronic songwriting. If the teaser is any indication, this has been a slow-burn project with deep roots, described as being “seven years in the making” and reaching back even further through 1970s radio, 1980s indie labels and the modern analogue synth revival.

There is also a sense of old unfinished business finally being resolved. After The Assembly’s “Never Never,” Clarke had planned a broader guest-vocalist concept, and Neil Arthur was among the names linked to that orbit. Some reports from the time and later retrospectives also suggested Alison Moyet was discussed as a possible contributor in that broader era of Clarke projects, though those ideas never fully turned into the collaboration fans might have hoped for.

That is why Doublespeak matters. It is not just another retro reunion story. It feels more like two key architects of British electronic pop finally arriving at the record they should probably have made years ago.

Exactly what Doublespeak will sound like remains under wraps for now. But with Neil Arthur, Vince Clarke and Benge involved, expectations will naturally be high. Between Blancmange’s art-pop instincts, Clarke’s melodic minimalism and Benge’s deep analogue sensibility, the project has the potential to be far more than a nostalgia exercise.

For longtime fans, the real headline is simple: it has taken a very long time, but Neil Arthur and Vince Clarke are finally doing this for real. And in the world of synth-pop, that is big news.

[Tin Soldier]

This is a dream come true. I have had music dreams and dreamt of Yazoo or Erasure sharing a stage with Blancmange when I was young. A forlorn hope to see as a yank back in the day, but I did have the West India Company release to wear out the grooves on. To think of those minds working together always sent a shiver down my spine.

The fact I never had a chance to see Blancmange with Stephen kills me, but I can understand why he withdrew, and now mourn his passing. Yet, that Neil was still making music and touring was a godsend...short of him not coming to the states. That was finally rectified last year, and perhaps due in some small part to my own lobbying/pestering the tour promoter for years to bring him over. I especially put the screws to the guy for not getting Neil to open for H17, as he had been in the UK/Europe, when H17 were brought here twice. Wasted opportunities, but I would get my chance.

Finally seeing Neil open for Midge last year in NYC was like reliving Tom Bailey's return, or seeing Al Jourgensen do a With Sympathy Ministry tour - synthpop events you simply did not ever expect to see again in your lifetime, but I did. (Sadly, bands like Ultravox and Visage will forever remain in that category.) Knowing how well that show went over, and the other dates he was here for, sealed the deal that Neil was back as a bankable touring act as Blancmange. That alone was more than I could ask after getting some much content from Neil the last few years.

For me, after Vince, Neil Arthur, then Midge Ure and Tom Bailey, is/are the best living composer(s) in the world of synthpop. Strong words? Sure, but having listened to this genre of music since 5 years of age, I'll state my informed opinion as fact, thankyouverymuch. Andy/Paul, Neil/Chris, Jimmy/Richard, Howard, and several others are up there, but these are the best in my eyes, rather, ears.

Knowing that Neil and Vince had remained friends, and even collaborated, was exciting, but, to finally have it come to fruition for all of us...I couldn't be more excited. More than I dreamed of...and now I obviously want gigs too!

Now...if old pals like Martyn could be tempted into the mix with them...maybe Martin as well...my dream of a Traveling Wilburys of synthpop is certainly less far-fetched than yesterday. If Midge or Tom somehow ended up in the mix, I might be hospitalized.

In the end I'm just glad to at least have good news like this these days. Bring on Doublespeak!