Mike Score recently led his new-look 21st century iteration of A Flock of Seagulls into a show inside of Washington, DC — their first solo headlining gig there in a long time — and they turned the sold-out room at The Atlantis in a a bonafide dance party.
For those who have been following Score for some time, it’s no news that he’s spent the last decade as a staple on ’80s festival circuits traveling the USA. His A Flock of Seagulls band includes bassist Pando, drummer Kevin Rankin, and guitarist Gord Deppe. At The Atlantis on April 15, the quartet absolutely blew the roof off the venue with a thrilling selection of 16 songs.
A Flock of Seagulls hooked longtime fans right away by opening with the catchy and familiar “Modern Love Is Automatic” from the band’s 1982 self-titled debut album. AFoS smartly kept the focus on that album, which ensured that everyone knew the words to at least a third of the set by heart. And The Atlantis was packed with people who really turned out for A Flock of Seagulls! While you might have anticipated that a show in the urban core may have drawn some curious onlookers, it was in fact the case that there were roughly 450 truly excited Seagulls fans who were there to truly absorb and appreciate this rare inner-city performance.
The band also capitalized on Listen, the 1983 sophomore album by A Flock of Seagulls, which was just as familiar to most of the true music fans in attendance. Early in the set, they performed “Nightmares” and “Transfer Affection” and then later “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You),” a timeless and deeply transportive song that remains top shelf in the fully stocked bar of new wave classics.
Watch the official music video for “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” by A Flock of Seagulls on YouTube:
Fear not: A Flock of Seagulls also gave a lot of love to their other two best-known numbers: “Space Age Love Song” and “I Ran.” They closed the set with “I Ran,” and they blew the minds of the already excited room. Before that, they dug into “Space Age Love Song” so joyously that they literally played it twice in a row.
A Flock of Seagulls released a new album, Some Dreams, in 2024, and it too received attention. The band showcased three selections from the new album: “Him,” “Lovers and Strangers,” and “Some Dreams.” The crowd reacted very well to all of them, particularly the title track, and I believe they would have very happily received even a few more new numbers.
Mike Score, instantly recognizable although now bereft of the famous haircut of his youth, dazzled on the synthesizer, romancing our ears with sounds that he’s been sculpting for decades. He smartly and deftly handled his Roland keyboard, continuing his relationship with a line of synthesizers that he’s favored throughout his career. His voice was weathered, deeper, and yet totally a powerful match for his energetic synths.
As mentioned earlier, A Flock of Seagulls are true road warriors for traveling festivals, and they have shared many a bill with The English Beat featuring Dave Wakeling. This leads me to conclude that Pando (the bassist) picked up some tricks from Beat toaster Antonee FirstClass. Pando served a ska-like toaster for the band between songs, encouraging cheers for Score and the songs and reveling in music from the ’80s. Pando was a truly great hypeman, and his chatter to the crowd was new to me, but it was great! But again, I cannot help but suspect The English Beat inspired him.
A Flock of Seagulls are in very fine form indeed, and this is a wonderful show. The band have some more solo headlining dates this year. And this summer, you can catch them headlining the Lost ’80s Live Tour, which is really getting around this year but sadly without a DC date.
Catch A Flock of Seagulls on tour!
The band looked sharp but operate with a dedicated publicist so we weren’t able to swing photos of them this time around. Check out our photos of their performance at The Fillmore Silver Spring in December 2023.
