Human League’s Philip Oakey on Don’t You Want Me, New Wave Staying Power

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 from your Trader Joe’s store to shows and movies like “Stranger Things” and “Marty Supreme.”

One of the most prominent hitmakers of the era were Human League — one of the few bands to endure for more than four decades without massive fights, angst and breakups. The Human League got most of its turmoil over with right at the start, when two of the founding members of the Sheffield group left to form Heaven 17. Lead singer Philip Oakey stayed behind to cultivate a more pop-friendly sound, or as he describes it, “chart records.” After recruiting high school students Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley as vocalists, Human League started churning out hits and became one of the top synth-pop groups of the New Wave era — notably with the memorable 1981 No. 1 hit “Don’t You Want Me.”

Now Human League is returning to the U.S. for its first full tour in over a decade, playing with the Marc Almond-led Soft Cell and former Yaz frontwoman Alison Moyet (“Is This Love,” “Situation”). “Tainted Love” artists Soft Cell have been touring the past few years with Philip Larsen filling in for Dave Ball, who died in October.

The Generations Tour kicks off June 2 in San Diego and then hits the Hollywood Bowl on June 4. The last time Oakey and company were in L.A. was at 2023’s Cruel World Festival, where lightning strikes forced them to evacuate the stage along with Siouxsie Sioux, who was playing on another stage at Pasadena’s Brookside at the Rose Bowl.

It wasn’t the first time sparks flew during a show with both Human League and Siouxsie, as Oakey tells it. The beer bottle-throwing aggression of the early punk scene “was an interesting cultural phenomenon, but I’m glad it’s gone away,” he says now.

Variety caught up with Oakey as he was getting ready to pack for the Generations tour, which will hit 21 cities total, including Las Vegas, Chicago, Nashville and New York after the Hollywood Bowl show.

The last time I saw you, your set was being cut short because of lightning.

I remember that one.

And you didn’t get you didn’t get to finish the set.

No, that was a little bit annoying, but I guess safety comes first.

That was very sad that Soft Cell’s Dave Ball died at just 66. Did you know him?

We had toured with him actually in one of his other groups, so we more or less knew him pretty well. I think Joanne and Susan had known him since before The Human League as well. Soft Cell were sort of started out in Leeds, which is the next big town along to ours, 30 miles away from here.

What do you think it is about new wave music that has helped it endure for so long?

The only qualification we ever had for being in a group was that we really liked chart records. I wasn’t a musician or anything. And maybe we sort of crystallized that. I think that after music had gone prog, I got a bit tired of it being overblown with things getting a bit symphonic and too long. And then there was the rebellion of punk which I really enjoyed and it inspired us to start. Our generation seemed to come along and say, “Actually we really like chart records that appeal to people, that get the job done in three or four minutes.” The lyrics are quite honest and I think that served us well. Also the using new technology, using synthesizers made the vocals stand out.

Bringing Joanne and Susan into the group worked out so well, and it’s amazing that they’re still with you. What has that been like, having that kind of continuity?

It has given me a chance of solidity as a basis that I think I wouldn’t have got any other way.

I think it was miraculous that we’ve not only found each other, but our personalities were just exactly right to allow us to not ever permanently fall out. We still argue, we still have different views, but we concentrate on different areas. We have always got each other’s backs.

Is that true that “Don’t You Want Me” was influenced by when you saw “A Star Is Born,” and that gave you an idea?

Absolutely. The James Mason version of “A Star Is Born. I really like old films. So just that tension, but in Technicolor, that’s my kind of thing.

But at first, you didn’t think it was one of your stronger songs, right?

We were on a circuit with Joy Division and everything and we thought that our long term appeal would be a bit moodier than that. So when that song sort of formed itself, which is what they seem to do, I was a little bit shocked. As usual, the radio people called it right and we took the LP out to radio and they all said that’s the single, release that, and being daft punks we took a while to realize that. I think Joanne and Susan knew straight away. They’re cleverer than me anyway.

So many films and TV shows recently have been using music from the 80s, from “Marty Supreme” to “Stranger Things.” Do you get many requests for your music in shows?

We do get a lot, more for “Don’t You Want Me” than for anything else. And we try to be a bit careful not to overuse it. So if people just want it to sort of set their atmosphere, we say no. But I love the stuff in “Stranger Things.”

I don’t know if you saw “Marty Supreme,” but the use of Tears for Fears was excellent.

I love Tears for Fears. I mean — that’s a group who could make heavenly records.

Is there any music you’ve liked recently?

I try to keep up. I love Billie Eilish. I like The Weeknd. Little Dragon I was into, but maybe that’s five years out of date now.

Your last studio album, “Credo,” was released 15 years ago. Will there be another one?

I’m pretty sure there will be the 10th Human League album at some stage. I’ve got to say, I find the business less easy to understand than I did. It’s hard to find a sympathetic producer. We have always been successful when we had a great producer. Four times in our careers people have come in with a clear view from outside and put us on the right path. And I think it’s harder to find that now.

We really enjoyed someone who would accept what you had done and perfect it, rather than really trying to change it.

A lot of the really great albums of that time were really shaped by strong producers.

I think that they have not had the appreciation they should. And I know we didn’t say thank you enough. When a great producer walks in, suddenly everything changes. You often don’t even know what they’re doing, but the stuff gets better.

Do you think it’s still important for a band to have a distinctive visual style like Human League did? Do you go for a more subdued look now?

I’m trying to un-subdue it really. I think that we’re the torch bearers for glam. We were really a glam group. We love T Rex, we loved Roxy Music, David Bowie, Prince. We have got to go out and do as strong a look as ever, because Prince isn’t around to do it anymore. Marc Bolan isn’t here to do it. So I think we must do it. You know, even if people start throwing bottles, I will still be wearing the eyeliner .

Do you get together with Joanne and Susan beforehand and kind of decide what your look is going to be for the tour?

We don’t really influence each other’s look. But tomorrow we have to get together and put our clothes in a flight case for the tour. So now we have to go down to the studio, get the clothes rack out and I have to get out my high heels and make that decision.

What was it like when you were first starting out, how crazy was the punk scene at the start?

They were wild right at the beginning before we had any success really. We supported Siouxsie and the Banshees quite a lot. So at that stage you had to be a little bit careful. People would grab the microphone off you and that sort of thing. Before Joanne and Susan joined, we went over with Iggy Pop to Germany and people were throwing things all night. People would go and tear the fittings out of the bathrooms and throw them at the stage.

I mean, people were throwing full cans of beer at the stage and things. An interesting cultural phenomenon, but I’m glad it went away now.

Thank you, we look forward to seeing you in Hollywood!

Can’t wait to be there. In fact, I’m coming for a holiday before then. That’s how much I like California.