ALTERED IMAGES + MEL THE POCKET ROCKET – THE FACTORY LIVE, WORTHING 18.9.26
Welcome to The Factory Live in Worthing, where tonight Altered Images turned the clock back and reminded us that great pop music doesn’t come with an expiry date.
There are certain bands that don’t just play songs — they unlock memories. Clare (no “i”) Grogan and her latest incarnation of Altered Images do just that!
One minute you’re standing in a venue surrounded by people of a certain age, and the next you’re transported straight back to a time when the hair was bigger, the clothes were possibly questionable and nobody had invented a smartphone yet.
Welcome to the world of Altered Images.
From the moment the band appeared on stage, there was an unmistakable buzz in the room. This wasn’t simply a concert; it was a reunion with an era when pop music could be quirky, infectious, slightly eccentric and — whisper it quietly — actually fun. This was a sold out 45 anniversary performance of Altered Images debut album ‘Happy Birthday’.
And at the centre of it all is Clare Grogan. Clare still possessing that wonderfully distinctive presence and voice that made Altered Images stand out from the crowd in the first place.
There is something rather cool about watching an artist who has been part of the soundtrack to people’s lives. You can see it in the audience. You can see it in Clare’s face. The first few notes of a familiar song land, and suddenly the audience faces light up as if someone has just switched on a long-forgotten part of the brain.
The performance itself was full of Clare’s energy and charm. There was no attempt to pretend this was 1981, and that was precisely the point. This wasn’t some museum-piece recreation of the past. It was a celebration of music that has somehow managed to survive decades of musical fashions, dodgy haircuts and several generations of other pop stars.
For a couple of hours, the Factory Live became a place where the past and present happily collided. There was nostalgia, certainly, but it wasn’t the slightly dusty variety. This was nostalgia with its trainers on, jumping around and demanding another chorus.
Clare Grogan at the front remains captivating and combines humour, warmth and that unmistakable personality that has always been such a big part of Altered Images’ appeal.
The songs may have come from another era, but the reaction from the crowd proved that good pop from a terrific album doesn’t come with an expiry date.
A great gig should make you forget your age for a while. It should make you remember where you were when you first heard those songs. Ideally, it should leave you walking home with a huge grin on your face and a handful of tunes stuck in your head. Altered Images did all of that tonight.
There was something rather wonderful about looking around The Factory Live and seeing people who had clearly been carrying these songs around in their heads for decades finally getting the chance to sing them at full volume. We had been promised the album would be performed in track order, and it was. It opened up with the ‘Happy Birthday Intro’ as Clare bounded onto the stage wearing her sunglasses. We then had ‘Love And Kisses’, ‘Real Toys’, and ‘Idols’.
This felt like a celebration. Happy Birthday to ‘Happy Birthday’!
A celebration of the album, the 45th anniversary of the ‘Happy Birthday’ album! The songs, the memories and, perhaps most importantly, the fact that we’re all still here and still prepared to jump around in a concert venue despite what our various joints might be telling us. And that along with the fine music is something worth celebrating.
Then came ‘Happy Birthday’, and if there was anyone in the room who hadn’t yet been transported back to the early eighties, they certainly were now. It’s impossible to hear that song without a grin appearing somewhere on your face. The section closed with the wonderful Insects and ‘Happy Birthday Outro’.
The album section closed and Clare left the stage to prepare for part two. She remerged in her new white outfit, stockinged feet and a huge smile as we were taken straight into ‘I Could Be Happy’ and ‘See Those Eyes’.
Clare brings an infectious warmth and humour to her performance, and she has that rare ability to make a sizeable audience feel as though they’re all involved in the gig/party.
It was a real treat to be there. Just great songs, a charismatic performer and a room full of people having a bloody good time.
The set bounced along with classics and fan favourites including ‘Bring Me Closer’ and ‘Dead Popstars’. I was introduced to Clare back in 2018 by Fay Fife (Rezillos) and the last time we met up was at Concorde 2 in 2022, so it was nice to hear ‘Mascara Streakz’ again live. She gave me a signed copy of that album. Sadly I didn’t get a chance for a quick hello this time around.
The set closed out with ‘Love To Stay’, ‘Change Of Heart’ and the final song was ‘Don’t Talk To Me About Love’ which had the crowd jumping!
And Clare and her band proved that sometimes you really could be happy — especially when you’ve got a great band, a packed room and a few fond memories singing along with you.
Altered Images didn’t just revisit the past tonight. They brought it roaring back to life. It was colourful, energetic, nostalgic and, above all, enormous fun.
A shout to the sound and lighting tonight, sound mix was spot on and the lighting tonight was great, we could see everyone clearly, not much smoke or blinding backlighting silhouetting the artists. Great job!
Altered Images setlist:
Set One:
(‘Intro Happy Birthday’) (found on 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Love And Kisses’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Real Toys’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Idols’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Legionnaire’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Faithless’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Beckoning Strings’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Happy Birthday’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Midnight’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘A Day’s Wait’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Leave Me Alone’ (from 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘Insects’ (found on 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
(‘Outro Happy Birthday’) (found on 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
Set Two:
‘I Could Be Happy’ (from 1982 ‘Pinky Blue’ album)
‘See Those Eyes’ (from 1982 ‘Pinky Blue’ album)
‘Bring Me Closer’ (from 1983 ‘Bite’ album)
‘Mascara Streakz’ (from 2022 ‘Mascara Streakz’ album)
‘Dead Pop Stars’ (from bonus track edition of 1981 ‘Happy Birthday’ album)
‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ (Gladys Knight & the Pips cover)
‘Love To Stay’ (from 1983 ‘Bite’ album)
‘Change Of Heart’ (from 1983 ‘Bite’ album)
‘Don’t Talk To Me About Love’ (from 1983 ‘Bite’ album)
Support this evening came from Mel The Pocket Rocket who had quite a job to do tonight! And she did a great job in warming up the large Factory Live audience before Altered Images.
What a voice! She is indeed a rocket! Mel had carefully selected her set for tonight combining some 80’s/90’s bangers! Some fabulous covers ranging from an electrifying performance of Kim Wilde’s ‘Kids In America’, and Tiffany’s ‘I Think We Are Alone Now’. Intoxicating performance, as always from Mel.
Mel has a powerful voice, and can tune it to various styles from an all out rocker to the operatic vocals, I have seen her nail ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘Somebody To Love’. Mel pours it out in her performance. The fella standing behind me remarked, “Wow, now she has a voice!”
Mel nailed John Farnham’s ‘The Voice’, with the bagpipes! A brave song to do at any time but Mel did it and with her usual style.
Mel has various guises, ABBA and Kylie but she has also supported bands such as T’Pau and Slady.
It was a short, but very sweet set tonight, as Mel had to dash off for another performance in another venue, she’s actually doing 7 gigs in a week!
Mel’s face seemed to light up with sheer joy as her short set progressed, belting out tunes we all knew, she is a master of her craft, a magnificent pop, rock, operatic vocalist! All of that topped off with a wicked sense of humour and banter. If you get to see Mel perform then go! She will entertain and amaze you with her voice and material.
www.instagram.com/melthepocketrocket
