The mere mention of Yazoo is likely to make any electro fan of a certain age go all misty eyed.

The duo – Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke – were only together for two years, but their influence was wide and far-reaching, inspiring artists ever since – from the Pet Shop Boys to contemporary hipsters such as LCD Soundsystem and Hercules And Love Affair.

The band recorded two albums, one in 1982 and another a year later, but their latter effort – You And Me Both – coincided with their split, meaning the songs from that second album were never performed live.
Until now, that is.

Yazoo have reformed to mark the 25 years since they went their separate ways, and are touring to celebrate in suitable style.

"I believe that in music there are three points: writing, recording and performing," explains Alison Moyet, the vocal half of the twosome.

"Our musical relationship curtailed so quickly that we never got to the third stage, really. We needed each other to perform these songs properly, so we had to get back together to do it.

"These are songs that are an important part of my musical history," she says. "When you've been about as long as me and Vince have, you're going to want to go back into your catalogue. People want to hear me sing songs from 1983, or 1982 as the case is this time.

"I've long wanted to sing these songs live, but haven't been able to do so without Vince. I didn't want to turn them into karaoke by doing them on my own; Vince's sound is crucial to what Yazoo was – and is."

Of course, this isn't the only pop duo Vince Clarke is part of.

Since 1985, he's made up 50 per cent of Erasure with Andy Bell. Due to Vince's commitments with that band, a Yazoo get-together has been impossible before now.

Anniversary

"Andy (Bell] asked me about taking some time off from Erasure after the last tour," says Vince.

"He's writing with some other people, DJing and doing some remixes – he's done a remix for us, actually.

"I realised there was the 25th anniversary of Yazoo disbanding coming up, and I knew Alison was interested in performing live, so it just seemed the right time and the right thing to do, really."

The day I met Alison and Vince a few months back was the first time either had met up in 25 years, and their phone conversations to arrange the reformation were the first time the pair had communicated in that time too.

There were no hard feelings, however, and Alison and Vince are the first to admit there was no real bond between them when they made their music together in the first place.

"It was a solely musical partnership – well there was a little more than that maybe, but not much," says Alison, frankly. "But we are cut from similar cloth though; we're both from Basildon, for starters, so there was a connection from growing up in a small, new town.

"We understood each other culturally, in lots of ways, so there was that connection, but it never became an emotional one."

"We just didn't know each other very well," continues Vince. "I don't think I knew how to form relationships back then anyway. I was happier talking to an engineer about tape recorders than talking to Alison about... anything, life, whatever.

"We kind of knew of each before we got together, but we never got beyond that while we were recording. Both of us were shy, and a bit paranoid, and we didn't communicate. So there was no bonding, or foundation for the group to continue longer than it did."

The fact they've not seen each other in such a long time also means there are huge gaps in their knowledge about one another, with the pair asking as many questions of each other as any interviewer.

Relationship

Was there ever a time when a reformation was on the cards before?

"No. Well, Vince didn't have to. Erasure make great records and they're happy together and good friends, so why would he want to go back?" says Alison.

"I've never had that same sort of working relationship with anyone. I never made the bond that Vince and Andy have. I would have worked with Vince many times before now, but it wouldn't have happened had Andy not taken this break."

"There was no time before this," adds Vince. "Me and Andy have made 14 albums and we've never stopped. There's always a tour and there's always an album after it, and then another tour and so on.

"People ask if I ever did other projects, and I say, 'Well I did spend five minutes doing a remix for someone once, but that's it.'

"After a tour, we do have a bit of a break, but then you're not thinking about more work or a film score. You have these ideas that you're going to do these other things, but there is never the time."
So what are the pair looking forward to most when performing?

"The exciting thing is finding the truth in the songs – you find you sing a song soon after it's been written, and it's only in playing it live that you work out what the real meat of the song is," says Alison.

"We're going to be going out and singing two albums' worth of material – some of it for the first time ever – that's been available for 25 or 26 years, and our hardcore fans are going to know every word of every song. That's an unusual position to be in, without it being some karaoke thing."

Vince on the other hand, has a more simple answer.

"I just want to hear those analogue synthesizers really loud through a massive PA system. That'll be amazing."

And what of the contemporary artists name-checking the duo's work? What does Vince make of being called an electro pioneer?

"I didn't know that, and I've never heard of any of LCD Soundystem or Hercules And Love Affair!" he says. "But it's very flattering, of course it is. The only music I get to hear now is on Sesame Street which I watch with my two-and-a-half-year-old son Oscar. It's a great show!"

Yazoo are on tour now. Click here for details.