Soft Cell’s Marc Almond says he’s frustrated by timing of bandmate’s death
Soft Cell’s Marc Almond says he’s frustrated by timing of bandmate’s death
Jacob StolworthyThu, August 13, 2026 at 9:34 AM UTC
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Soft Cell star Marc Almond has reflected on the struggles of promoting their new album following the death of his bandmate.
Dave Ball, who died aged 66 on 22 October 2025, performed with Almond, 69, on tour two weeks before his death, despite being immobile after a fall in 2022 fractured the musician’s lower vertebrae. Following this, Ball got pneumonia and sepsis, and was placed in an induced coma in hospital.
When he regained consciousness, those close to the musician convinced Almond that his health was improving, which left Almond shocked when, two days after completing their record, he learnt that Ball had died.
Soft Cell singer Marc Almond has reflected on death of bandmate Dave Ball (Getty Images)
He toldThe Timeshe was surprised by “the timing more than anything”, adding: “I had felt such positivity from him while making the album and the people looking after him said, ‘Dave’s in such a positive mood! He’s really on an up!’
“Then, two days before he died, he said, ‘I’m really happy with the album – please don’t chop it to pieces.’ And so I felt I had to keep doing this because it was a boost for Dave, but I knew at some point it was going to end and now I’ve just got to see out the life of this album, for Dave if nothing else.”
Almond said he feels frustrated that he’s been “left holding the baby” as Ball had been the one who enjoyed promoting their work.
“Was I surprised at the timing? I was kind of pissed off at the timing, to be honest with you. Dave loved doing interviews. He had a great, dry, sardonic sense of humour, and that is what I’ll miss the most. But bloody hell, he’s left me to do this on my own,” said Almond.
Soft Cell’s sixth album, titled Danceteria, is out in September.
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Dave Ball of Soft Cell died aged 66 in October 2025 (Mike Owen/PA) (Mike Owen)
When Almond announced Ball’s death in a statement in October, he said he hoped he would have “stayed on long enough to celebrate our 50 years together in a couple of years’ time”.
“It is hard to write this, let alone process it, as Dave was in such a great place emotionally,” Almond wrote. “He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago, It’s so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work. Dave’s music is better than ever.”
Almost praised him as “a wonderfully brilliant musical genius”, and called him “the heart and soul” of the band.
Formed in the late 1970s, the duo were pioneers of the synth-pop sound that would become popular in the 1980s, and were best known for songs such as their cover of Gloria Jones’ “Tainted Love”, “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”, and “Torch”.
Marc Almond said bandmate Dave Ball was 'heart and soul' of Soft Cell (BBC)
Their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1981) remains one of the decade’s most acclaimed albums, embracing the provocative nature of New York electronic duo Suicide, one of the group’s main influences, with songs such as “Seedy Films” and “Sex Dwarf”. The album was followed by Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing in 1982, one of the first ever remix albums.
They went on to release The Art Of Falling Apart (1983), featuring hit singles “Where The Heart Is” and “Numbers”, followed by This Last Night In Sodom (1984), which saw the band shift towards a more eclectic sound, released a month after it was announced that the group would split.
In 2000, Soft Cell reunited for a run of live shows and a mini tour, before releasing their fourth album Cruelty Without Beauty in 2002, followed by a compilation of early demos called The Bedsit Tapes in 2005.
The band returned again in 2018 for what was billed as a final reunion UK concert at The O2 in London, and in 2022 they released their fifth studio album Happiness Not Included, having returned to gigging in 2021.
Additional reporting by Agencies
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
