Let's Rock - 80s Retro Festival 2018 Dalkeith

ICBMICBM Frets: 71950
edited June 2018 in Music
Anyone else go? Odd choice of name, it has to be said - if you were expecting 80s rock you would have been very disappointed! Although the line-up would have given it away...

Hazell Dean
Fuzzbox
Annabella (Bow Wow Wow)
Brother Beyond
Peter Coyle (Lotus Eaters)
Modern Romance
Katrina (but not The Waves)
Altered Images
Nick Heyward
Black Lace (!)
Heaven 17
Nik Kershaw
Go West
Midge Ure
Tony Hadley
ABC
Marc Almond
Billy Ocean

The fabulous weather helped, but it was just a brilliant day if you're old enough to remember all these - which most of the 20,000+ crowd there seemed to be . For me it was a golden opportunity to catch a lot that I'd missed seeing in the 80s all at one go... I think I've only actually seen Hazell Dean before - I actually played at a festival she was at about fifteen years ago, and she doesn't look any older!

Highlights for me were Heaven 17 (who played an inspired version of Bowie's Let's Dance), Nik Kershaw (great performer and guitarist, not afraid to show off a bit! - and played Chesney Hawkes 'The One And Only' which he actually wrote), Midge Ure (plenty of old Ultravox, sounded better than ever), and best of all ABC who were simply a cut above the rest - both Martin Fry and his songs have aged very well, and the band were superb - not least Agent Smith on bass .

Black Lace were as annoying as ever but a lot of fun, Tony Hadley was much better than I expected (he started with To Cut A Long Story Short - although he should have applied that concept to some of the other songs, Gold especially), Marc Almond was the only real disappointment (Soft Cell classics don't suit cheesy rock arrangements, and a T.Rex cover wasn't a good choice...) and Billy Ocean isn't really my thing but was pretty good, and a nice feel-good closer at sunset - 10pm in Scotland!









Now home, tired and somewhat slightly sunburnt!

I can now go and get my hair cut - I had grown it specially for the authentic 80s look, along with turned-up 501s, red socks and a plain white T-shirt (tucked into the 501s)... :D 

"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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Comments

  • VibetronicVibetronic Frets: 1036
    no, unfortunately, but agree re Nik Kershaw - seen him a few times now. His post-80's stuff is fantastic too.
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    I watched a TV programme about dieting and one of the chaps from Black Lace was on it. Still regularly gigging and seemingly making decent money still. 

    I went to see Nick Kershaw when he was a bit more famous and my memory of it was a lot of guitar solos, I think he had Don Airey pre Deep Purple on keyboards. 

    Our festival viewing this year will be the Upton Sunshine Festival - possibly even less rock and roll than your one. Status Quo and Aswad. Cutting edge stuff. 
    I saw Aswad in the late 80s, obviously my memory of many of these things is blurry now but I remember it as an experience of being in an ethnic minority for two hours. I suspect it won't happen again in the Worcestershire village of Upton. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • bingefellerbingefeller Frets: 5723
    What were Go West and Altered Images like?
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71950
    edited June 2018
    I watched a TV programme about dieting and one of the chaps from Black Lace was on it. Still regularly gigging and seemingly making decent money still.
    For one thing, they really know how to work a crowd. Good at what they do, for sure...

    What were Go West and Altered Images like?
    Altered Images were good, but being on quite early they only got a very short set - although I suspect most people couldn't name more than three of their songs anyway! - and Go West were OK but still as lightweight and cheesy as they were in the 80s . They were also good at what they did, but I was never a fan, and I'm still not! (If you look carefully in the first pic, that shot from the back of the field was taken during their set... I had gone back for food and beer .)

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • hubobuloushubobulous Frets: 2352
    That's where Fish from Marillion lives. Wonder if he was soaking it all up.
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22515
    I went to see Nick Kershaw when he was a bit more famous and my memory of it was a lot of guitar solos, I think he had Don Airey pre Deep Purple on keyboards. 

    Don Airey's brother Keith played guitar in Nik Kershaw's band during the '80s.  I wasn't aware Don had ever played with Kershaw, but he might've done.
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Philly_Q said:
    I went to see Nick Kershaw when he was a bit more famous and my memory of it was a lot of guitar solos, I think he had Don Airey pre Deep Purple on keyboards. 

    Don Airey's brother Keith played guitar in Nik Kershaw's band during the '80s.  I wasn't aware Don had ever played with Kershaw, but he might've done.
    You’re quite right, ‘‘twas Keith. In my defence this was a really long time ago. I think Nick played some very distinctive custom guitars in those days but I can’t remeber what they were - quick google suggests stuff made by Dave Gladden. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    ICBM said:
    Anyone else go? Odd choice of name, it has to be said - if you were expecting 80s rock you would have been very disappointed! Although the line-up would have given it away...
    I don't suppose "Let's Pop" would've quite worked.
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