Bman's Blues Report: Rewind Scotland: The 80s Festival confirms 2013 Line-up

Tickets on sale Friday 25th January 2013
For ticket info and prices, please visit:
www.rewindfestival.com

"Rewind Scotland – The 80s Festival" in Perth, Scotland is back for its third year running. The festival will take place from Friday 26th July until Sunday 28th July at Scone Palace, Perthshire, Scotland.
As with the past two unforgettable Rewind Scotland festivals, this year’s Rewind promises to provide an even bigger bang with the crème de la crème of classic 80’s pop music performing. The celebrations will consist of non-stop music on the main stage from the biggest names of the decade and plenty of audience participation and dressing up.
Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday 25th January.Full details about ticket outlets and prices are available from the official Rewind website - www.rewindfestival.com.

This year’s line-up is headlined by Ali Campbell’s UB40 and OMD. Other highlights include a rare appearance from Jason Donovan, A Flock Of Seagulls, Tony Hadley, Rick Astley, Belinda Carlisle, Level 42, Earth, Wind & Fire Experience Featuring Al McKay, Howard Jones, Soul II Soul, Kim Wilde, Mike + The Mechanics, The Blow Monkeys, Sonia, Nik Kershaw and many more.
Following the tradition of 2010 and 2011, the festival organisers are pleased to confirm that Rewind Scotland will once again take place at the historic setting of Scone Palace in Perthshire; home of The Earls of Mansfield and the crowning palace of the Kings of Scotland.
The festival takes place on the weekend of the Friday 26th to Sunday 28th July, and will also feature loads of other festival fun from the Silent Disco to Live Karaoke Bar, plus Camping and Glamping (aka Glamorous Camping) options.

For the ultimate festival experience, Rewind festival-goers can pre-order a When Nature Calls wristband for access to the exclusive 'Loo Lounge' – situated under a luxury stretch marquee with a café and chill out zone. With warm water hand washing facilities and mirrors, these loos are cleaned after every use by uniformed attendants.
Originally launched at Henley-on-Thames in 2009, Rewind The 80s Festival boasts the biggest line-up of 80s artists in the world, and in its first four years has featured iconic 80s stars including Boy George, Village People, The Human League, Gloria Gaynor, Kool & The Gang, Holly Johnson, Bananarama and many more.
2011 saw the first Rewind Festival take place north of the border and take Scotland by storm, while the festival in Henley-on-Thames sold out in advance for the very first time. Following festivals in South Africa in 2012, Rewind's global appeal continues to escalate with festivals in Dubai and Bangkok later this year.
For an exclusive video preview of the artists, on Wednesday 23rd January at 21:00, tune into "Fast Forward to Rewind Scotland" on Vintage TV (Sky 369 & Freesat 515).

Ali Campbell's UB40
As lead singer with the world renowned group UB40, Ali Campbell has sold over 60 million records worldwide. A whole generation has grown up listening to Ali’s infectious vocals on classics like "Kingston Town", "Red Red Wine" and "(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love". In 2008 Ali departed UB40, with keyboard player Mickey Virtue following him to take a place in Ali’s new band. Ali continues to thrill audiences worldwide performing the band’s classic hits, as well as his own new material, inspired by his love of Reggae.

Kim Wilde
Recording Artist, Performer, Journalist, Actress, Radio Presenter and Garden Designer -Kim Wilde is one multi-talented lady. Since her first single "Kids in America" became a worldwide hit on its release in 1981, and a string of million-selling albums and single success followed including "Chequered Love", "Water On Glass", "You Came", "Cambodia", "View From A Bridge" and "You Keep Me Hangin’ On", she’s enjoyed a varied and highly successful career. Still producing new material and touring Europe extensively, Kim returns to the Rewind stage by popular demand, to continue her reign as the Princess of Pop.

Mike + The Mechanics
Mike Rutherford, a founding member of one of the most successful groups of all time, Genesis, formed Mike + The Mechanics in 1984 and created a side project that would go on to sell over 10 million records worldwide. The band originally started with vocalists Paul Carrack and the late Paul Young (formerly of Sad Café) and their 1985 self-titled debut album produced two Top Ten hit singles, "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" and "All I Need Is A Miracle". In 1988 the band released "The Living Years" to massive global success, spawning the hit single "The Living Years". Two further albums followed in the 90s producing a series of massive hits including "Over My Shoulder" and "Another Cup Of Coffee". Joining Mike Rutherford in the current line-up are 90s UK R&B star Andrew Roachford and Canadian Tim Howar.

Starship
Mickey Thomas is the owner of the soaring voice that propelled Starship through the decades of the 80s and 90s. With his soulful and compelling vocals, he has established himself as one of Rock Music’s most recognizable stars. Starship (originally Jefferson Starship) found a new sound when Mickey joined the band in 1979 and recorded an amazing string of hits including "No Way Out", "We Built This City", "Sara" and an Oscar Nomination for the no. 1 hit "Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now" from the movie "Mannequin".

Rick Astley
Handpicked by legendary producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman, Rick went from obscurity in Warrington to chart stardom when his debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" went to the top of the charts in the summer of ’87 and a string of hits followed. After walking away from the music industry at the height of his fame, he made a comeback in the noughties with new material and a new legion of fans whose "Rickrolling" antics swept the internet. As popular as ever, Rick works as a DJ on Magic FM and recently completed a UK tour featuring new and classic material as well as playing shows overseas including the South African version of Rewind and a tour of Australia.

Howard Jones
Over 25 years on from the release of his debut single "New Song", Howard Jones is as prolific and hard working as ever, playing concerts around the world and creating diverse and superbly crafted new material in his studio in Somerset. To date he has sold over 8 million albums, and with such worldwide hits as "What is Love", "Like to Get to Know You Well", "Hide and Seek" and "Things Can Only Get Better" he’s sure to entertain with an exceptional live show at this year’s festival.

Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul was created by Jazzie B and friend Daddae – "two souls moving together". Soul II Soul signed to Virgin in 1986 and enjoyed chart success with "Keep On Moving" and "Back To Life". Soul II Soul has sold over 6.8 million albums worldwide and in 1990 they picked up two Grammy Awards. Jazzie B has not only produced a string of successful cuts for Soul II Soul, but he’s also produced and re-mixed tracks for the likes of Fine Young Cannibals, James Brown, Public Enemy, Sinead O’Connor and Destiny's Child.

Heather Small
After selling several million records, winning two Brit Awards and the Mercury Music Prize, performing across the globe and recording a track that has become an unofficial national anthem - international anthem even - Heather Small is one of the most successful female recording artists of recent years. As Part of M People, hits such as "Moving On Up", "One Night In Heaven" and "Search For The Hero" saw Heather become one of the seminal British voices of the 1990s. Heather has since had great successes with two solo albums – the title track of her "Proud" album going on to become the soundtrack to a whole host of very special events including London’s successful 2012 Olympic bid.

A Flock Of Seagulls
It took musical training and talent to program a drum machine and sing to synth, and a bit more effort to craft a look and sound that was original – or odd – enough to get noticed by record companies, and then by the record buying audience. There’s probably no better early ’80s’ example of this than A Flock of Seagulls. The band, founded by hairdressers Mike Score and Frank Maudsley, Score’s brother Ali, and Paul Reynolds was a late product of the Liverpool music scene that produced such hard hitting pop acts as Echo and the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes. Twenty years later the band is back touring and sounding stronger than ever, performing such new wave classics as "I Ran (So Far Away)", "Space Age Love Song" and "Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)".

Red Hot Chilli Pipers
Opening Rewind Scotland with their unique brand of "jock ‘n’ roll" are Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Since they walked away with the top prize on UK primetime TV talent show, "When Will I Be Famous" in 2007, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers haven’t stopped for a breath other than to inflate their bagpipes. Taking their signature "Bagrock" sound to the masses, The Chillis have fast become a global phenomenon with a fusion sound of traditional pipe tunes and contemporary anthems. Listen out for the likes of Queen’s "We Will Rock You", Survivor’s "Eye Of The Tiger" amongst rock medleys and their unique take on such traditional songs as "Flower of Scotland" and "Amazing Grace".

Captain Sensible
The iconic Damned guitarist Captain Sensible continues to perform with The Damned to this day, famous for his trademark image of red beret and sunglasses. Read through his back catalogue of solo hits however, and you’ll find such familiar and diverse titles as the Rogers and Hammerstein penned "Happy Talk" to the Falklands inspired "Glad it’s All Over". In the words of the Captain himself, "I’m great and have done lots of stuff so buy me a beer!" - sounds good to us!

Odyssey
Top vocal trio Odyssey were one of the most successful soul/disco acts of their era, culminated in the early 1980s when they topped the charts with the wry "Use It Up And Wear It Out", scoring several other Top Ten hits in Britain and throughout the world including the smash single "Native New Yorker", "Inside Out" and a brilliant re-working of the Lamont Dozier classic "Going Back To My Roots". The sheer quality of the songs and the Lopez sisters vocals, combined with the imaginative production ensured that their work sounds as classy today as it did back then. Now co-fronted by the late Lillian Lopez’s eldest son and former musical director Steven Collazo along with twins Annis and Anne Peters, Odyssey are guaranteed to get the Rewind Scotland crowd shaking their funky stuff.

OMD
Fresh from their raved about headline performance at Rewind Festival 2012 and making their Rewind Scotland debut are Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), the celebrated Krautrock and Kraftwerk influenced synth-pop duo from Wirral who pioneered their genre with starkly experimental albums such as "Architecture and Morality" (1981) and "Dazzle Ships" (1983). Hits such as "Enola Gay", "Maid of Orleans" and "Souvenir" propelled them into the stratosphere and helped shape the musical landscape of the eighties. The original OMD line-up split in 1989 and spent years working on separate projects, before uniting again in 2007, initially just to play a few concerts, but dared to venture back into the studio, producing the critically acclaimed "History of Modern". It is their new album "English Electric" though, that has particularly fired the imaginations of Paul and Andy, evoking shared memories and their original musical spark, while fusing the knowledge gained during their time apart to inject new life into the duo. This year is OMD's 35th anniversary; the original line up, which consists of Andy, Paul, Martin and Malcolm, will be touring the UK, Europe and America beginning in April 2013.

Level 42
Level 42 took the 80s by storm with their brand of bass driven jazz funk that came from the underground soul scene of wedge haircuts, pegged trousers, sharp shoes and soul patrols. With Mark King’s infectious baselines as their hallmark, Level 42 broke through into the hearts and minds of all soul-funk lovers with such underground hits as "Turn It On" and "Love Games", cementing the way for a period of sustained chart success with hits such as "Running In The Family" and the funk-pop classic "Lessons In Love".

Tony Hadley
Rewind favourite and lead singer of the recently reformed Spandau Ballet, Tony is one of the eighties’ best known names and voices. Selling over 23 million albums, the band topped the charts around the world with such timeless classics as "True", "Gold" and "Through the Barricades". After the band spilt in 1989, Tony went on to have a successful solo career and continues to perform his favourite Spandau Ballet songs to enthralled audiences worldwide. In August 2012, "Gold" became the unofficial song of the London Olympics and was the official Anthem of Team GB House. Having wowed the Rewind Festival crowds in Henley last year and toured South Africa with the festival in the Autumn, the ultimate showman returns to Rewind Scotland in 2013 to truly entertain you.

Earth, Wind & Fire Experience featuring Al McKay
Built around the legendary Earth Wind & Fire guitarist and musical director Al McKay, with Earth, Wind and Fire experience the audience get one of the best live shows around, performed by Al’s "All-Star" cast of world class musicians. Hit after hit flows with the original feel and no smoke and mirrors, including "Boogie Wonderland" "After the Love Has Gone" and the UK top 3 hit "September", proving Earth Wind and Fire Experience are truly all about the music.

Belinda Carlisle
If ever anyone has given Madonna a run for her money as the queen of the three-minute pop song, it’s Belinda Carlisle. Over the last two decades, she’s made the journey from Hollywood-based teen punk with The Go-Go’s to the ultimate global big hair pop icon with a series of sophisticated, but instantly memorable pop-rock singles. Achieving international success with "Heaven Is A Place On Earth", the single reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic and established her as a solo artist in her own right after the demise of The Go-Go’s in 1985. With such massive solo hits as "Circle In The Sand", "(We Want) The Same Thing", "I Get Weak", "Leave A Light On" and "Do You Feel Like I Feel?" to her name, Belinda is still touring the world with her brand of uplifting and inspirational pop. Having played Rewind South Africa in the autumn, she now brings her fabulous set of songs to Rewind in the UK.

Nik Kershaw
Nik released his platinum selling debut album "Human Racing" in 1984 which included the hits "Wouldn't It Be Good" and "I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me". The equally successful "The Riddle" followed and in 1985 Nik performed at Live Aid. In 2012 he embarked on a UK tour playing his debut album in its entirety along with other hits, and also featured on the line up for Rewind Festivals in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. As well as a career as a performer, Nik is still a highly respected producer and song writer, working with such artists as Elton John, Imogen Heap, Gary Barlow and Ronan Keating amongst others. Listen out for a rendition of "The One and Only" – the Chesney Hawkes smash penned by Kershaw himself.

The Blow Monkeys
The Blow Monkeys were formed in July 1981 when Robert Howard (Dr Robert) returned from living in Australia and met up with Neville Henry and Mick Anker. Gigging extensively throughout London with their idiosyncratic pop songs, the band secured a record deal with RCA two years later in July 1983, adding Tony Kiley to the line-up as drummer and releasing their debut LP "Limping For A Generation" the following year. The band broke through with their second album "Animal Magic" featuring the worldwide hit "Digging Your Scene", and continued to have great success throughout the 80s with a series of albums and singles such as "It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way" and "Wait" a top 5 duet with soul diva Kym Maselle. The band reformed in 2008 and released a new album "Devils Tavern" followed by "Staring At The Sea" in 2011. Their renaissance continues this year with the release of their latest, and possibly best ever album "Feels Like A New Morning". This is a journey that continues to evolve and surprise...a unique musical odyssey.

The Blockheads
Rarely off the road since the demise of Ian Dury in 2000 there’s no doubting that the most lovable, cocky, funny, schoolboy-rude and artful characters from the punk generation are The Blockheads. Dury’s lyrics were a unique combination of poetry, word play, earthy humour and deadly-accurate observations of everyday, British working-class life. An album of new material in 2009, "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" (the recent biopic of their erstwhile front man and lyricist Ian Dury) and the musical Reasons To Be Cheerful has seen a resurgence in the bands popularity. Expect to hear "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick", "Wake Up And Make Love With Me", "Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 3", "What A Waste", "Clevor Trever" and "Sweet Gene Vincent" in their set. Chaz Jankel, Norman Watt-Roy, John Turnbull and Mick Gallagher still remain from the original band and the current line-up is augmented by John Roberts on drums, Lee Harris on guitar and a rolling line up of saxophonists that includes Gilad Atzmon, Terry Edwards or Dave Lewis."

Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan’s big break came with the role of Scott Robinson in "Neighbours". The series went onto to become one of the highest rated TV shows in history and Jason went on to have huge pop chart success selling over 13m records. His hits included have included "Any Dream Will Do", "Too Many Broken Hearts", "Sealed W ith A Kiss", "Nothing Can Divide Us" and the often imitated, never bettered pop-classic "Especially For You", a duet with his fellow Neighbours star Kylie Minogue. He has starred in numerous musicals, including "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat", "The Rocky Horror Show", "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", "Priscilla Queen of the Desert", "‘Sound of Music" and "War of The Worlds". TV highlights have included 2007’s "Concert For Diana" at Wembley Stadium in front of a worldwide TV audience of over 50 million people, Jason examined his Australian roots for BBC’s, "Who Do You Think You Are", and was a finalist in 2011’s "Strictly Come Dancing". In 2012 he was interviewed by Piers Morgan for his "Life Stories" and was a judge on ITV1’s "Superstar".

Cutting Crew
Originally formed in 1985, this Grammy nominated Anglo-Canadian rock band will always be remembered for their classic songs "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" and "I’ve Been in Love Before". Original singer and writer Nick van Eede performs every gig now with his amazing guitarist, Gareth Moulton. The past few years have brought festival appearances alongside Toto, Supertramp & Level 42. Their great live show has reached the hearts of audiences across the world and now Cutting Crew return to Rewind to rock the crowd once again.

The Flying Pickets
The group was first formed in 1982 by members of the 7:84 Theatre group, a socialist fringe theatre group who used acappella singing in a production called One Big Blow, the story of the 1982 miner's strike in the UK, from the miner's point of view. The first recording was a live show 'Live at the Albany Empire' on the group's own label. They soon came to the attention of Virgin Records, who signed the group in 1983. "Only You", a cover of a song by Yazoo, went straight to number 1 in the UK charts and was to remain there for five weeks over the Christmas of 1983. Since 1983 there have been over 25 members of the Flying Pickets; some returning to the band more than once. The group continued to tour for the next quarter of the century and produced another 11 albums before celebrating their 25th anniversary with a new show Changing Times. In 2008 the album Big Mouth was released. In 2010 the group released a new Christmas album with a new version of Only You, hence this album was titled Only Yule. The Flying Pickets are now celebrating their 30th Year.

Sonia
Fresh-faced pop starlet Sonia was only sixteen when she first entered the music business, having been spotted by record producer Pete Waterman on the Liverpool club circuit and successfully auditioning for a recording contract with Simon Cowell at BMG. Her debut single "You’ll Never Stop Me From Loving You" was released in 1989 and shot to number one in the UK selling a staggering 350,000 copies. Numerous television appearances revealed her bubbly personality and natural enthusiasm endearing her to a large audience. "Everybody Knows", her debut album sold half a million copies and included a string of top singles such as "Can’t Forget You", "Listen To Your Heart" and "Counting Every Minute". As well as chart success, Sonia has been a familiar face on stage and screen, having starred as Sandy in the hit West End musical "Grease" alongside Craig McLachlan and Shane Ritchie in the nineties amongst many other shows and television appearances.