Dave Ball of Soft Cell remembers that the ‘BBC switchboard was jammed full of complaints’ after the band first performed Tainted Love on Top of the Pops.

Vocalist Marc Almond’s appearance created a stir when the electro pop duo appeared on the early evening pop show in the early 80s.

Instrumentalist Dave said: "I don't think we thought long and hard about it beforehand, we were just being who we were at the time, it was a true reflection of ourselves, two young people not long out of fine art degrees at Leeds University.

Marc Almond and Dave Ball in the early 80s (Image: Newsquest)

"I think they were shocked when he saw his mascara and bangles but then again that was always how Marc appeared, so it was never shocking to those around us. 

READ MORE: Oxfordshire County Council pays out £95,350 for data breach claims

"Although we lived in very different times back then when you could be beaten up in the street for looking anything out of the ordinary.    

"But people had probably got very used to us by the time we'd performed on there a few times, and it no longer shocked, especially as most other male artists performing on there were also using make up. 

"We were a year ahead of Culture Club's first appearance though, and I guess trailblazers for many artists that followed us."

The duo, who will perform at Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace tomorrow night (June 14), had only been a band for barely a year when their version of Tainted Love became a worldwide hit and debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret went multi-platinum.

Dave, who grew up in Blackpool and is a lifelong fan of Northern Soul, said they were 'very surprised' by the success of the Gloria Jones cover.

"We thought it would be a minor one-off hit and then we could go back to being darker and more alternative," he said. 

"But it turned out exactly the opposite, and we had a whirlwind few years when we were barely out of the charts both in the UK and abroad. 

"Even today,  Tainted Love is still in the Top 100 best selling singles of all time in the US, which is mind-blowing," he said.

Between 1981 and 1984 the duo had follow-up hits Bedsitter, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, Torch and What! as well as four top 20 albums in three years.

"Bedsitter was our follow up to Tainted Love," he said. "It was a big hit everywhere apart from in America - we didn't work out why until much later when we were told bedsit is not a word used in the US, so no-one knew what it meant. 

"Mind you, Condoland doesn't really have the same ring to it."

Marc Almond performing in 2023 (Image: Celia Bartlett)

Marc and Dave had originally gone their separate ways in 1984 but reunited in 2018 for a final show at London's O2.

However, the response to the sold-out show was so huge it was no longer wave goodbye more a new start.

He said: "We were amazed by the amount of offers that came in after the show, and when BMG and Universal offered us new deals, we chose BMG. 

"Our old label, Universal are currently releasing deluxe reissues of all our 1980s albums, and are releasing more later this year.

"Our last album, *Happiness Not Included surprised us when it entered the Top 10 album chart in the UK, and did well elsewhere too.

"The lead single from it 'Purple Zone' was with Pet Shop Boys, and was number one in the physical format chart, and was a huge airplay hit. 

"It was nice that something else was getting played on the radio other than Tainted Love! It went so well that we have literally just started to record our next album."

The band whose fans include Paul McCartney and Trent Reznor, have even been immortalised in popular culture by Alan Partridge – Ruddy hell, it’s Soft Cell.

But the covers by Rihanna and Marilyn Manson are their favourite.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift books £3.3m Oxfordshire cottage during Eras tour

"We have to say the sample of Tainted Live in Rihanna's SOS has been the most financially lucrative for us," said Dave. "The Marilyn Manson cover is also great."

So how do they propose to create a 'darker, more alternative' vibe at a stately home in the Oxfordshire countryside?

"The show is a 90 minute audiovisual spectacular," he said. "As well as all the hits, we also perform many of our deeper cuts and album tracks, and we are also performing two tracks at this show that have never been performed live by us before as a Blenheim exclusive.

"I'm really excited about Soft Cell performing this special one-off show in such a historic and unique location."

Nocturne Live concert series runs from June 13-16 at Blenheim Palace. www.nocturnelive.com.