Music Park: Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey @ Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center — 8/2/18

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Jason Nicholson "Le Mouton Flâneur" in Live Review and tagged England, Montgomery College, new wave, post-punk, Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center, Thompson Twins, Tom Bailey.

Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins performs at Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center in Rockville, Maryland, on Aug. 2, 2018. (Photos by Jason Nicholson and words by Mickey McCarter)

The room simply lights up whenever Tom Bailey sings “Lay Your Hands on Me,” by his former band the Thompson Twins. And the room was very bright indeed at Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center in Rockville, Maryland, on Thursday during a visit by the debonair gent who returned to the area for a show of largely hopeful, romantic tunes perfect for a summery day.

Music Park: Tom Bailey @ Rams Head on Stage — 7/24/18

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Jason Nicholson "Le Mouton Flâneur" in Live Review and tagged England, Montgomery College, new wave, post-punk, Rams Head On Stage, Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center, Thompson Twins, Tom Bailey.

Tom Bailey performs at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis, Maryland, on July 24, 2018. (Photo by Jason Nicholson)

Tom Bailey’s return to pop music has been nothing short of inspired.

As a vocalist and guitarist of the Thompson Twins, Tom has a wealth of well-regarded material that largely laid dormant until he picked up those songs and started performing them live again in 2014. Inspired by the experience, he’s released a new album while venturing out for some solo dates during a big tour with Culture Club and the B-52’s!

In the area for The Life Tour with those fellow new wavers, Tom played a solo show at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis on Tuesday. (And he returns for a solo show in Rockville on Aug. 2!)

Don’t Miss: Careless Memories @ Dodge City, 6/8/17

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Bow Wow Wow, Careless Memories, dj party, Dodge City, Howard Jones, Katrina, Men Without Hats, Midge Ure, Modern English, new wave, The English Beat, Thompson Twins.

Howard Jones performs at The Hamilton on Sept. 3, 2016.

Tonight — don’t crack up, bend your brain, see both sides, and throw off your mental chains with Careless Memories! And dance the evening away as if we were at a summer music festival. Starting at 8pm at Dodge City, I’ll play artists like Howard Jones, The English Beat, Modern English, Men Without Hats, Bow Wow Wow, Katrina and The Waves, Thompson Twins, Midge Ure, and others, inspired by the summer Retro Futura Tour.

To get ready for all of it, I chatted with Howard Jones himself last week! Revisit our Parklife DC interview with Howard, and then join our listening party at Careless Memories tonight.

Around Town: Careless Memories @ Dodge City, 6/8/17

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Careless Memories, dj party, Dodge City, Howard Jones, Katrina, Men Without Hats, Midge Ure, Modern English, new wave, Retro Futura Tour, The English Beat, Thompson Twins.

Howard Jones at Rewind Festival in 2013. (Photo courtesy Universal News and Sport)

Editors Note: This event was originally scheduled for May 25, but we have moved it to June 8. On May 25, we will present an evening of music dedicated to bands from Manchester in solidarity with the city after this week’s tragedy.

For the last several years, an ’80s festival called Retro Futura has presented some of our favorite artists, including Howard Jones, The English Beat, Modern English, Men Without Hats, Katrina (of The Waves), Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins, Midge Ure, and many others.

We’ll celebrate the ’80s festival circuit with these artists and others, alongside your requests, at the next edition of Careless Memories: A New Wave Party, this Thursday, May 25.