There's a dewy-eyed sentimentality attached to blancmange the dessert, something robust, enduring and terribly British about the mould it sets in and the taste.

Blancmange the duo are also robust, enduring and, so Wikipedia tells us, from the far-flung corners of Lancashire and Middlesex, thus it seems, the name fits just fine.

Back in the '80s, with the retrospective, colourful and almost twee graphic-design work adorning their album and single sleeves, you found yourself listening to their futuristic global electro-pop with both ears on the stereo, half your mind in the sun-splashed English countryside and half a hand on a pint of something for the weekend. Check out the songs 'Waves' or 'Sad Day' and you might see what I mean. In the 21st century it's more of the same, but now I find myself remembering when I saw Blancmange perform their massive hit 'Living On The Ceiling', on Top of the Pops for the first time.

Sitting beside Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe in 1982, was a tabla player and sitar player. Most sceptics were convinced they were there to make up the numbers, but swift detective work and a quick scour of the sleeve insert for the album 'Happy Families' revealed that Pandit Dinesh and Deepak Khazanchi were very much a part of their sound with real instruments. Dinesh has since made a reappearance on their comeback album, 'Blanc Burn', released last year to critical acclaim. Although not a huge hit, the collection displayed all the quirks of yore with tracks like 'Don't Forget Your Teeth' and 'I'm Having a Coffee', plus melodies.

Blancmange will be back on the road during May to perform classic hits, 'Blanc Burn' and possibly some new songs, starting in Newcastle on the 2nd, followed by Glasgow, Liverpool and more until London's Islington O2 Academy on 25th May. Tickets are on sale from Monday 30th January, priced from £15 upwards.