Were The Eighties Really Just Bad Fashion And Scott, Aitken and Waterman?

The Eighties Show

Theatre Severn

Friday 18th November 2022

Ok, so the Eighties is famous for the decade that killed pop. I will stand by that by saying at the advent of the Nineties, western pop music was vacuous and manipulated by the money men. Well, it could be argued that if you hold that view you only know half the story. Yes, Eighties music was hijacked by the Hit Factory, Waterman, and his cohorts. The nasal screeching of Ms. Minogue and the wailing of all that other dross, such as Bros, Sunita and Sonia, was taking hold at the expense of art and music! If you do argue that the Eighties killed pop music, one would ask you to read between the rubbish and see that the decade was pitted with brilliant writers, great performers, and true musicians. The joy is tonight’s show falls into the latter camp and every note played was golden.

Initially appearing as an expensive cruise ship act, the posh part of end of the pier attractions: However, there was no end of pier about these guys. With vocalist that had an uncanny knack of sounding like the singer who had the hit, one was thrilled to hear the like of Mark Almond, Tony Hadley, Morten Harkat, oh they were all there. Given even greater appeal by the fact that they played their own music it was a really very good show.

With a backline of percussionist, drummer, lead, Rhythm and bass guitars, keyboards, synthesisers and sax; there was a real plethora of instruments all being superbly played. One is normally impressed with the skill of the musician, and one is always disturbed to see mime or cheats which hoodwink the public into believing they are getting what they aren’t rather like that poor Eighties music that I alluded to earlier.

So, you got fantastic musicians, two great singers and a well-rehearsed piece of theatre. The audience loved it. There seemed to be a written and unspoken rule that they audience was going to have no chance and almost like a hypnotic trance possibly sublimely tapped out by a technical drumstick the audience were to be up and dancing from the off: And they were. It really was a party on stage and the party fever was infective. One could see the veil of Friday day at work being lifted to reveal a Friday night beneath; and with the reveal came great joy and a commitment to having a good time. Long may it be so.

This show has no axe to grind, no hidden agenda and no agit-prop narrative. Just good fun pop music. Despite what our parents told us about how ridiculous the costume and make up looked and how the caterwauling will never be remembered as music, longevity has proved them wrong. I imagine we are now seeing off the last of the parental generations who moan about all that new-fangled music and showing contempt caused by the disgusting and shocking noise. Someone who is even 92 today was only 34 when the Beatles number one. My point being soon there will be no one soon, who’s life wasn’t touched by this phenomenon known as pop music. One always has that thought at nostalgia gigs. Wow how times change. Do parents even lecture the kids on music nowadays?

This is a good fun show, well-rehearsed well sung and beautifully presented.

This is a Five Star Review

Owen J Lewis