In their post-punk early days, Blancmange made tape loops and experimental sounds with kitchen utensils, before developing into one of the definitive chart-topping British electronic pop acts. Now they are on tour with their latest album, Private View.

And with 10 albums in the last decade, Arthur said: “I don’t know whether I’m on a roll but I feel something in me has been released. I used to hold back and I didn’t trust myself. While I’m still full of self-doubt I’m now quite comfortable with it. This is it. We’ve only got one time around the block, so make the most of it.”

The past is used as a trigger to create new ideas and build fresh momentum, not as somewhere to linger.

Find some answers

“A lot of people are frightened of the future and are quite happy to have a repeat of something that was done before,” he said. “But it’s just not for me. Looking forward you’ve got a hell of a world to try and navigate through at the moment. We’re all moving forward – so we’ve got to try and find some answers.”

Private View

Private View is a record that manages to capture an artist who is potently in the moment when it comes to creating new work, while also being able to draw on 40 years’ worth of knowledge, experience and built-in intuition.

“I’m really lucky to be able to make the music completely on my own terms,” Arthur said. “Within myself there are no limits, there’s a massive palette inside and I will try anything.”

PRIVATE VIEW TOUR

4 Nov – Exeter Phoenix, Exeter – w/ Rodney Cromwell
5 Nov – The Brook, Southampton – w/ Rodney Cromwell
10 Nov – The Mill, Birmingham – w/ Alice Hubble
11 Nov – Kanteena, Lancaster – w/ Alice Hubble
12 Nov – The Forum Theatre, Barrow-in-Furness – w/ Alice Hubble
17 Nov – Corn Hall, Diss – w/ Rodney Cromwell
18 Nov – Gorilla, Manchester – w/ Stephen Mallinder
19 Nov – Hangar 34, Liverpool – w/ Stephen Mallinder
24 Nov – The Wardrobe, Leeds – w/ Stephen Mallinder
25 Nov – The Leadmill, Sheffield – w/ Stephen Mallinder
26 Nov – The Riverside, Newcastle – w/ Stephen Mallinder
1 Dec – The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen – w/ Stephen Mallinder
2 Dec – The Liquid Room, Edinburgh – w/ Stephen Mallinder
3 Dec – Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow – w/ Stephen Mallinder
9 Dec – Concorde 2, Brighton – w/ Stephen Mallinder
10 Dec – Islington Assembly Hall, London – w/ Stephen Mallinder