Hall & Oates play Birmingham Symphony Hall tonight, following their sold-out show at Dublin’s Olympia on July 15.
After over a decade of experimentation in different genres (including being the opening act for David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust on the USA leg), the early 1980s were the years when (Daryl) Hall & (John) Oates finally broke as a global act.
By the time Live Aid came along in 1985, they were superstars with a string of smooth, Philly-influenced melodic chart hits, like Maneater, I Can't Go For That and Private Eyes.
"The 80s weren't as much fun as you might think," Daryl Oates told The Guardian. "The demands were so great. When you're in a rock band, travelling in a van, you may wish you were in a private plane, but you really don't know what you're missing. I enjoyed the '70s a whole lot better. It was a totally freer time. Then we became pop superstars and we couldn't go anywhere."
After the high point of Live Aid, Hall & Oates decided to step back. "We felt like, 'What more can we possibly do?'" says Oates. "Anything less would have been a failure."
Oates releases his current musical output digitally, while 67-year-old Hall hosts a TV show, Live from Daryl's House. He also has a historic home restoration business.
"I'm as popular as I was back then, but it's a different kind of popularity," Hall declares. "It's more pleasant. More fulfilling. I don't feel like people are treating me like a Daryl doll."
He is chuffed that bands like The Killers and Arcade Fire hold huge respect and affection for the duo. "I hear my influence all over the place, it's pretty widespread."
