Greetings Dear Readers
Last week I was invited to cover the 80s Rewind Festival that was held at Kings Park.
I attended the media session first and met some of the artists and asked them some questions.
80s Rewind Festival
The Village People
I asked Felipe Rose what advice he had for upcoming musicians?
'Plan for the future, Meet lots of people, Tour the world if you can.
Build up a good reputation. Look after your money. Run it like a business.'
I asked the other members of the Village People what advice they had
for young musicians?
' Hang around musicians, if you are prepared you will get selected. Stick with it.
It's a full time job, you have to love it. Do gigs for free. Don't be afraid
to write your own music.'
What was the wildest gig you guys played?
' A grandma took off her bra and threw it on stage.'
' A woman went into labour at one of our concerts. '
Next up was Leee John.
What advice did he have for artists?
' You have to be in the zone. It's about the audience. Every show is your last show.'
Tony Hadley
At present he is working on a new album. He believes you have to be determined to succeed.
It takes a long time. 'Work hard if you want to succeed.'
I also bumped into Rick Astley and he was telling me his Radio Show on Magic FM
from 2 - 4 now has a huge listernership. It has some great guests and he loves it.
Nik Kershaw believes you have to go for it if you want to succeed and have fun.
He also has a new album out in Summer.
A Review of the 80s Rewind Festival Concert At Kings Park 25 Feb 2012
Durban set up a beautiful sunny day for the concert.
First up was Leee John
@LeeeJohn1
He had the audience eating out of his hands with his wonderful songs and
all the hits were there including Flashback and Illusion. He still has it all
and has all the moves. He can do the slow songs and knows how to work the crowd
into a frenzy. A consumate professional. His performance was polished
and he has some wonderful dance skills.
As the crowds streamed in I noticed how many people dressed up in their
best 80's gear. It was wonderful to see.
Nik Kershaw was next. The Electric Guitar maestro amazed the crowd with his
wonderful songs.
@NikKershaw
In between all of this I managed to meet Martin Fry from ABC and I asked
him some question
@fredfelton and Martin Fry from ABC
Advice for young artists?
Become a singer
What is your impression of Durban?
Well it's a new place, Durban is like New York.
Advice for songwriters?
Beat your own drum.
He told me he has just come from the Rio Carnival and he is off to Stuttgart after this.
At present he is working on a new album.
Go West were simply brilliant. This duo just keep on delivering.
Go West
Watching Howard Jones perform is a treat.
Howard Jones
The mix of synth and drums works wonders. He had the audience eating out of his hands.
He truly is one of the Kings of the synthesizer. He even managed to integrate
'South Africa' into a song. Brilliant.
After that we had the immaculately dressed Marc Almond.
Marc Almond
He blew the crowd away. 'Durban what a beautiful place' His words not mine.
He performed all his classics and he performed them to rapture.
When he performed 'Tainted Love' the crowd went mad. I have no words.
You had to be there.
As the light faded and we moved into the night the concert took on a new ambience.
Social Media was also alive with the concert with Tweeps Tweeting all about the concert
and there were quite a few hashtags floating around including #80srewindfest
Search for it on Twitter to get a different experience of the concert from Tweeps.
Midge Ure was next and it really was good to see this musician play all his classics.
Midge Ure
The Crowd Went wild when the Village People took to the stage.
They blew the house down, people surged forward to watch them perform their classics.
The Village People
You could hear every single word from the artists and from the crowd.
They even brought out SA Flags for 'In The Navy'
The Village People are well aware of social media and even took pics live on stage
and shared it on their Facebook page. A valuable lesson for all musicians out there.
Oh yes they did perform YMCA. Once again you had to be there.
Simply astounding.
You can join their Facebook page to find out more -
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Official-Village-People/202364961024
Go on and Like their page. I did.
Martin Fry from ABC was wonderful. He too is the consumate professional.
The smart outfit just makes it a class act. He really can belt out hit after hit.
Martin Fry
Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet came on next to a huge applause.
Tony Hadley
He still has it. He managed to drive the crowd wild. A really classy act.
Hit after hit after hit. An amazing performer to watch live.
Next up was the man himself Rick Astley.
@rickastley
Now this was the cherry on the top. What a polished performer. He really knows how to
work a crowd into a frenzy. Hit after hit and as he performed each one the crowd went
wilder and wilder. Towards the end he even put on a Sharks Rugby Jersey.
Like I said he is a smart man. Full of jokes as well a wonderful artist.
He finished off with Never Gonna Give You Up to a huge roar from the crowd and
a fitting end to a wonderful concert for Durban.
With Thanks To
- Lauren Holley from East Coast Radio
- Jani Roodt from Red Flag
- The Event Organisers especially Deon duPont
- All of the other people I met on the way.
- Also Fiona Jane Photography for all the wonderful photography on the day http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fiona-Jane-Photography/310784055645291
