They blazed onto the New Romantic scene and hit the Number 1 spot with acclaimed album The Lexicon of Love in 1982. Now ABC are seducing a whole new generation with their unique blend of orchestral pop. Lead singer Martin Fry talks love songs, gold lamé and performing live at Butlins.

Your Brand of melodic pop came along when there was an explosion of bands coming out of Sheffield. What was special about the music scene there when you were first starting out?

Back in the early 80s, punk rock had died out and a whole new generation was coming through. There was an explosion of British pop back then. In Sheffield you could live very cheaply and close to the poverty line and yet still go out and enjoy yourself – that was a great breeding ground for music. With our songs we were just trying to catch that Saturday-night feeling. It was a great place to be then.

While other bands were sporting a New Romantic buccaneer look, you opted for your now trademark gold-lamé suits. Was it a conscious decision to go for a slicker, more sophisticated image?

We were, and are, cosmopolitan in our look. Our music was slick and polished, so our suited-up image went well with that. We were dressing like that anyway – it wasn't a look we'd plucked out of nowhere. It was our connection to that Saturday-night feeling and finding a sense of glamour.

Although this look has endured the test of time, are there any retro fashion mistakes you made that you'd never revive?

There were moments when the taste police would have arrested me. At one point in our career, we had clothes made to make us look like cartoon characters. I've still got lots of stupid outfits – I don't throw them out.

ABC was compared to other bands of the 80s, such as Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran, but you have a less synthesised style. What was – and is – the unique quality of the ABC sound?

We were mixing up a lot of different sounds. People were bored with punk and we were writing love songs – larger-than-life, escapist songs. It was a way of looking forward – those were hard times so there was a need to feel optimistic and we did this through our songs.

You perform on the Here & Now 80s tour as well as doing separate tours with Go West, Tony Hadley, Heaven 17 and Human League. Why do you think there's a renewed interest in 80s music and why do you think it is so enduring?

In 2008, it's an honour to still get up there and perform Poison Arrow and Look of Love. Part of our revival came about through You Tube and Facebook, where more and more people have had access to all the old videos. The videos back then were very entertaining, and the fashion was fun. We all had an electro-pop sound that used a lot of technology, and it still sounds very modern. Also I think the 80s are popular because people recognise the uniqueness of that decade. Individuality was encouraged then much more than it is now. All these years down the line, I'm still a fan of 80s bands like the Human League, Duran Duran, Culture Club.

After ABC split, you went solo for a while. What inspired you to re-form the band?

I noticed that there were lots of 80s classics being played again on the radio – Soft Cell's Tainted Love, for instance, and stuff by Depeche Mode. I realised there was a whole generation of kids interested in flamboyance again. There was a demand for it, so really the audience made us get back together. Plus, I just love to perform. The great thing about being on stage is that you can do things that you'd otherwise be locked up for.

You supported Robbie Williams on his UK stadium tour in 2001 – how did that come about?

He was a fan of ABC, so he called us and asked us to support him. He's so popular that he can have whoever he wants perform with him. I'd never played to 80,000 people before – audiences just weren't as big back in the 80s. It was great fun to be part of his world, and we would play five-a-side football before the show. He's a bit semi-pro when it comes to football. He was the king and we were in his kingdom.

Describe your stage show now. Do you perform a mix of new songs and classics?

Our audiences are so fantastic – they just want to have a good time and that's what we try to give them. We get the chance to play our greatest hits as well as tracks from our new album, Traffic. We're off to do a US tour right now, then we'll be performing at Butlins in November. The atmosphere is great there. Butlins pulls in a lot of really great artists like Girls Allowed and Sugababes. The audiences are always up for fun and the themed weekends work really well.

Who are the artists you admire and why?

I love the music of so many artists. Roxy Music, Bowie, anything Motown, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson. I also like Goldfrapp and any bands that are inventive. And of course Robbie Williams, who is a genuine showman. Smokey Robinson is one of my all-time heroes. We did a song called When Smokey Sings, and we gave him the record and said, ‘We hope you like it.' Then we were in LA and he invited us up to Tamla Motown. He loved the song and sent us a handwritten letter telling us so.

Which moment in your career means the most to you and why?

Well, I really like my career right now – I feel good about it. And of course it was amazing when Tears Are Not Enough was on Top of the Pops.