Retro Concerts and Festivals

Time to revive this two year old thread as yesterday I went to 2019 Lets Rock Southampton retro concert.

Opening the concert was retro concert regular Toyah


Next Johnny Hates Jazz, with hits such as "I Wish That I Could Turn Back the Clock";
Very appropriate given the age of most of the performers and audience.


Next, someone I had never seen before and was most looking forward to seeing; Limahl (here on the left).


I was wondering how he would fill his half hour slot with his two hits, but he did a great versions of number of other 80s artists songs. His setlist was:

• Too Shy
• Joe Jackson's Stepping Out
• Talk Talk's Its my life. Done as a tribute to Talk Talk singer Mark Hollis who died back in January.
• Duran Duran's Save a Prayer - because it was Nick Rhodes who got Kajagoogoo their record deal and produced their first album
• and of course his own Never Ending Story, one of Georgio Moroder's finest tracks

I wasn't expecting much of the next act Thomas Dolby, who's records were a bit too "novelty" to me.

However, he did tell several interesting stories including showing a superb film about performing at Live Aid back in 1985. The story started with him saying how when Queen were doing their iconic performance he had the best seat in the house, being in a helicopter flying to Wembley Stadium. However, the experience was somewhat marred by the other passenger in the helicopter having an anxiety attack because he hated flying.
However, as soon as they landed he was back to normal. The other passenger was David Bowie, who Thomas accompanied on his keyboards during that set. As the Live Aid Performance of Bowie's "Heroes" played on film Thomas played along, just like he did back then. He is obviously a very skilled keyboard player, having been a session musician on the next acts most successful album Heaven on Earth.

That was Belinda Carlisle, who I have seen many times at Retro Concerts.

She was looking "well fit" for a 60 year old. Maybe it's the star jumps she likes doing during the instrumental breaks. As usual she did a very professional performance of her main hits, despite a big glitch with the sound system between her first and second songs.

Next, Neville Staple, who initially made me think who? Once the hits started coming I realised he was a major part of The Specials, and Fun Boy Three.

A bit of a shame there was no Banarama available for Really Saying Something.

Next was From The Jam.

This was the only band which to me felt like a tribute band, as the main thing everyone remembers about
The Jam was Paul Weller, who left to do his own things years ago.

They were followed by another person who performed at Live Aid; Nik Kershaw.


Around this time I got tired of standing near the front so spent most of the next act Shalamar's

performance sitting in the letter C of LETS ROCK.

There was no filler at all in Shalamar's set list. I had forgotten how many hits they had.

The Pink Flamingos were out in force, including a lady dressed as one !!!, for the next act; Marc Almond.


For me this was the best performance of the day. Both Marc and the audience were full of enthusiasm. Among his Soft Cell hits which of course included "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" he did "The Days of Pearly Spencer", "Something's Got a Hold of My Heart" as a tribute to Gene Pitney, who he dueted with on the 1989 UK No.1 of the same track, and finally "as a bit of fun" T.Rex track Hot Love, as Marc Bolan was his childhood musical hero.

Next was Erasure's Andy Bell, who quite frankly looked a bit of a mess (he started off wearing a jacket that matched the shorts). However, vocally he was OK once he had done the first track and the stage was brightened up by two young lady dancers, who wouldn't have looked out of place in the film Barbarella.

He was the first person to do an encore, ending with the classic "A Little Respect" - very appropriate given his support for Gay Rights.

There were two other artists who performed that I don't have photos of.
Black Lace did their three hits to a backing tape while the stage was being set up for From The Jam.
Loads of the women in the audience knew all the actions.

The headline act was Billy Ocean, but after nine hours of 80s music, and with a long walk to the car followed by driving home ahead, I decided it was time to go home.

At less than £5 an act it was well worth going. I think here was something for everyone (with the exception of Metal fans). It is interesting how the crowd at the front changes with the act, being noticeably different but equally enthusiatic between Neville Staple and Marc Almond.

There are four more outdoor Lets Rock concerts to go this year
https://letsrock80s.com/

They are also doing a Winter "Lets Rock" at three different venues, although whether it will be the full ten hours at that I don't know.
https://letsrockwintertour.com/

Finally, as to the relevance to Stereo2Go, at one point I was looking around the audience, who had an average age of about 50 and thinking I bet 90% of the people here have had a cassette player of some kind in their teens to play the artists we were listening to.

 

Good line up. Seen a few of them. Toyah opened for Human League...didn’t expect much but she was brilliant, did lots of good covers, and she was lovely. I’d like to see Thomas Dolby...always been a big fan of him, a really talented fella. Sounds like you had a great time listening to lots of classic 80’s...a great way to spend a day

 

You would have liked Thomas's story on how he hired TV scientist Magnus Pyke to come to his studio to record the samples for "She Blinded Me With Science". He played various recordings with a explanation that Magnus Pyke only gave the required level of enthusiasm once Thomas got a beat going on his drum machine. During the performance he claimed that "It turns out any celebrity can be hired for samples" and extended the track to include film and samples of various people including Hilary Clinton making statements like "I am very enthusiastic about science".

I agree that it is great to see all the artists and bands that I listened to back in the 1980s. Ultravox, A Flock of Seagulls, and a short promo by Dollar are the only ones which I actually saw back then as chart acts rarely came to Bristol where I grew up.

 

I draw the line at Multi Day festivals (which I have never tried). Glastonbury is only about 50 miles from here, buy camping overnight in a muddy tent - no thanks.

This is the song which she says "changed her life" despite not liking it when she first heard it.

and another of hers featuring a very 1980s music video

She is also an actress having been in Quadrophenia along with a young Sting, was the narrator of Teletubbies, and back in in the early 1980s the butt of many comediennes over the top impersonations.

​

Belinda was recently interviewed on the retrospective TV programme Top of the Pops - The Story of 1987.
Until Top of the Pops showed her back in 1987 in a new what's happening the American Charts feature hardly anyone in the UK had heard of her or the GoGos. As a result of that feature, she became well known and Heaven on Earth was a number one album here.

 

I have heard on several occasions that when they first started releasing records Blondie were actually far bigger in the UK than the USA.
So by the time Beauty and the Beast was released we already had Blondie, Kate Bush, Toyah, Hazel O'Connor, Kim Wilde and Altered Images, all having strong, independent, front women singers. Then came Cyndi Lauper, Shannon, Madonna, and Taylor Dayne so there was never a shortage.

............and I just realised I had forgotten The Bangles. They were the All Girl Group from the USA who did make it big in the UK in 1987 winning several awards.

I have to say Belinda brought something new and melodious with Heaven on Earth (although Sade is similar). I love Kate Bush's early work especially her first album but don't like the music she was putting out in the late 1980s at all, so was one of the people who bought Belinda's Heaven on Earth to go with my albums from all the artists I have mentioned.

 

I think that today was supposed to be Lets Rock Southampton, with OMD headlining this year. Obviously that didn't happen and it has been postponed a year.

As a consolation Lets Rock did produce



which I watched last night.

The music starts at about 26:00. Some great performances (Hazel O Connor, Toyah, and Then Jerrico) and some rather amateurish ones. If you have the time enjoy.

I also need to catch up with



p.s So far the highlights start at 1:35. Midge Ure followed by Howard Jones. Both Guys who know how to produce a track as well as play and sing.

 

After being postponed twice Lets Rock Southampton 2020/21 finally happened yesterday and I was there.
This year I cheated and took a chair rather than being was host Dave Benson calls "The Front Row Posse".
I did move closer to the front for headliners OMD who I had never seen before. Andy McCluskey's "dancing" lived up to its reputation.

More photos and an act list to follow when |I have sorted through them.
For some of the Artists / Groups it was the first time they had played to a live audience in over 18 months.

 

I'm not sure if you had a look at the line up but Howard was there. He was actually born in Southampton where this was held.


I think this was him. As explained I didn't fancy being too close to the front this year so sat back in my folding chair and enjoyed most of the acts from this distance. Consequently most of my photos are like this.

Might as well let someone else make a decent video. From the angle I reckon this was done from the Wheelchair area.

 

About ten years ago I saw him for free at a large local music shop when he did a concert there to promote the latest Roland keyboards.

 

I don't want to see artists that I used to listen to 25+ years ago. Most of them don't look the part. The 50+ public with bellies and balding heads is depressing.

Death is everywhere
There are flies on the windscreen
For a start
Reminding us
We could be torn apart
Tonight

Depeche Mode is an exception because they never stopped. Tears For Fears looked ok five years ago. Those who stopped touring twenty years ago and now come from zombie state look out of place. And as much as I like disco and Euro Dance... just don't.

Some of them completely transformed themselves and their music, like Alison Moyet, but this is a different artist to me now. No relation to Alison Moyet of yore.

 

Back in the 1980s few of these bands actually needed to bother touring. It also didn't help that my local concert hall seemed to have far more Heavy Metal concerts than anything else. One of the few bands who did a concert in Bristol was Ultravox. That was in a theatre that occasionally put on concerts. A different concert I recall going to was "The Cool Notes" who I went to see simply because a band with a record in the charts came to do a gig in Bristol.

Something else to consider is cost. Lets Rock tickets were about £40 so that works out at about £4 an act, or hour.

A few years ago T'Pau played a very local venue. When a colleague said about it I thought "I'd pay £20 to see them" and the tickets were £19.50 so I did.
During the concert Carol Decker (who still looks and sounds like Carol Decker) commented that twenty years earlier they had sold out the huge National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham for several nights in a row.

Another band I have been lucky enough to see in a small venue for a bargain price was The Bangles.

Because my then girlfriend liked him I did get to see George Michael in London. By the time you included the price of tickets, accomodation and travel it probably cost us £200 each. I can't think of any one act I would pay that much to see today.

Getting old is something that happens to everyone. As you have pointed out some women like Alison Moyet look better now than they did then.
Thinking about younger acts I wouldn't pay more than £50 to see Ed Sheeran, which means that won't happen. What I would put money on is that in forty years time a load of middle aged women will be delighted to go to any concerts he does. Donny Osmond still has the same fans he had in the 1970s !

 

It was interesting to read on Wikipedia that OMD got their big break being the support for Gary Numan, and that a few years later they returned the favour by having him as their opening act. Someone I missed seeing when she played in Bournemouth was Lady Gaga - when she was the opening act for the Pussycat Dolls.

Back to Lets Rock Southampton 2021 here is the full line up and a couple more photos from when I went close enough to take them

Toyah - Opened at 11:55 with Good Morning Universe. A song that doesn't really work in the afternoon

Then Jerrico - I still don't remember their hits

Jaki Graham - Who I did remember from "Could it be I'm falling in Love"

The Art of What; a spin off from the Art of Noise - Probably the least convincing act of the day. Seeing a couple of guys "playing" instrumentals on Laptops wasn't very exciting.


Five Star; although to be accurate One Star (lead singer Denise) and four backing dancers. I have seen them before and they were just as good this time.
Like the first three groups they use the house band who were excellent. "System Addict" made me think of the computer enthusiasts on Youtube. Their last track "The slightest touch" is semi instrumental and was very well done.

Black Lace - Probably best as a live act. Although they use backing tapes they certainly know how to get a crowd moving and singing with nonsense like Agadoo.
I have commented before that I have never seen a concert video that captures the atmosphere of actually being at a concert.

The Retrobates (House Band) Party Live. The House band has acquired a couple of singers and did a number of 80s hits.
"Together in Electric Dreams" was very well done. Close your eyes and you would have thought it was Philip Oakey and The Human League.

Go West - Famous for "We Close Our Eyes"

Midge Ure's Electronica - An artist who doesn't pretend to be the group he used to be in. Ultravox was actually my first ever gig back in the 1980s.
Of course Midge did "Vienna" as well as his own hits "Dancing with Tears in my Eyes" and "Reap the Wild Wind".


Marc Almond - Another good performance. They were advertising a Soft Cell concert sometime in 2022. I have actually seen Soft Cell but you don't miss much by not having Dave Ball hiding behind a keyboard in the corner of the stage. Loads of people brought inflatable Pink Flamingos to wave during his most famous song "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye". at one point he changed the lyrics to "We've been involved for Forty Years Now". In 2022 it will actually be forty years since the song was in the charts. Marc finished with a medley of T-Rex songs. Marc Bolan is his hero hence changing the spelling of his name.

Howard Jones - Almost the same set as last time I saw him with most of his hits.

ABC - Another Band I have seen several times

Wet Wet Wet - A bit of a cheat this one. I thought the lead singer looked a bit young although he was doing a good Marti Pellow impression vocally.
After a couple of tracks they introduced him as their new lead singer, So really a tribute act rather than much of the real thing. Would The Rolling Stones be the same group without Mick Jagger ?

finally OMD - A band I liked since they were first in the charts but had never seen. Andy McCluskey spent years as the manager and songwriter of Atomic Kitten and only started touring again because his kids had never seen an OMD concert. They started with Enola Gay and ended with Electricity my two favourite tracks of theirs.

Who will be on the 2022 line up ? The line up for 2021 kept changing and I think everyone who performed was U.K. based. A good thing we still have plenty of 80s stars here.

Going back to the subject of ages I was reading about the likely line up for Glastonbury 2022 which could include Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift who were both scheduled for 2020 which got cancelled (as did 2021). That really is going from one extreme to another. Personally I would rather see Debbie Gibson than either of them. We have had Tiffany at Lets Rock it would be great to get Debbie (who is still on my Bucket List) there.

 

I must say Billy Idol does not look too bad in this 2016 video