The legendary band plays the Douglas venue with the promise of a
succession of hits that influenced an entire generation. There is
unlikely to be anyone in their forties who doesn't remember the
pained story of a jilted lover in Don't You Want Me, writes Paul
Speller.
Susan Ann Sulley is the singer who, in the classic hit, was working
as a waitress in a cocktail bar. Despite what many would like to
believe, that was an occupation she never had in real life - she
left school to join the band at 17 and admits she has never had a
'real job'.
The band can still pack out venues and Susan admits it can be an
emotional experience when everything goes right and she has cried
more than once.
'The first time we played V Festival, I went to sing my verse of
Don't You Want Me and I just stopped because the crowd sang it so
perfectly without me and I just burst into tears!
'Those moments are spectacular and precious,' she told the Manx
Advertiser.
The Human League was formed by lead singer Phil Oakey in 1977 but
hit the big time with the album Dare in 1981, after he recruited
Susan and her school friend Joanne Catherall to become singers in a
reformatted group.
Hit after hit followed, with the likes of Mirror Man, Fascination,
Lebanon, One Man in My Heart and Tell Me When showing a durability
that has helped sustain a career over more than 30 years.
Susan was quick to stress, however, the band was more than just the
three of them.
'We have got a proper band that we have worked with for 20
years. We couldn't and we wouldn't do it on our own. We are a
proper live group. We wouldn't do it if we had to sing to backing
tracks.
'It is not just Phil and the girls, it never really has been.
'We were the face of it for the media many years ago because it was
us at the front and, sometimes, for the media it is easier to put
three people on the cover instead of seven.'
Looking through the back catalogue of The Human League's videos and
television appearances, one thing that strikes me is how serious
they all looked.
I asked if that was part of the image or whether it was always that
intense for them.
'One of the reasons we are still here is that it was never a joke
to us,' said Susan. 'It was deadly serious.'
A Sheffield girl at heart, she has retained her down-to-earth take
on life. When asked what the Susan of today would tell that
17-year-old girl all those years ago, she said she doubted her
teenage self would listen anyway.
'It was fantastic fun,' she said. 'We had a great time and we got
to go to all these fantastic places.
'The unfortunate thing was we were so famous at the time we
couldn't get to see any of them. That is why we all like touring so
much now, because we get to go to the most fantastic places in the
world and no one takes any notice of us, apart from the 90 minutes
on the stage.
'I think I would probably do it all again because if you changed
one thing I probably wouldn't be talking to you now.'
The Human League's show at the Villa Marina, Douglas on Friday
30th May. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are £35.70. Contact www.villagaiety.com.
This article first appeared in the Manx
Advertiser.