FLOOD MAGAZINE: The Human League’s Hard-Won Hits
SOURCE Words: Lyndsey Parker Photo: Perou May 21, 2026 The Human League were four and a half songs into their set at the 2023 edition of Pasadena’s Cruel World Festival when—after only two flashes of lightning streaked the sky, seven miles away—promoters pulled the plug and evacuated the Rose Bowl grounds. It was a decision that baffled the group, who […]
POLLSTAR MAGAZINE ** COVER ** They’re Only Immortal: Human League’s First US Tour In 15 Years
SOURCE UK synth-pop pioneers The Human League last performed their unforgettable Eighties hits live in the U.S. in 2023, but not every stop went exactly as planned. Just five songs into the group’s set at the Cruel World festival in Pasadena, California, that May, festival officials from Goldenvoice beseeched founder and frontman Philip Oakey and […]
VARIETY: Human League’s Philip Oakey on Why He Didn’t Think ‘Don’t You Want Me’ Would Be a Hit and the Enduring Power of New Wave Music
SOURCE The New Wave era of spiky but danceable pop tunes and sharp colorful looks may feel like it happened a million years ago, but to everyone’s surprise, the 45-year old musical movement has never really gone away. First popularized as MTV was becoming massively popular, 1980s music endured as the default upbeat soundtrack everywhere […]
The Human League
The early 1980s marked a pivotal moment for The Human League in terms of lineup and musical direction. In 1981, the group’s transformation began with recruiting new members Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, two teenage girls discovered by lead vocalist Philip Oakey dancing in a Sheffield nightclub. This serendipitous encounter led to a revamped […]