80's Rewind Festival 2010: Rated!

Henley-on-Thames - 20-22 August

United Kingdom | 24 August 2010

Overall – 9/10
For music fans of a certain age, the eighties had it all: cheese, sex, innuendo, humour, energy and a political voice. The 80’s Rewind Festival, attended by 40,000 people (compared to 30,000 in its inaugural year), manages to combine a vivid reminder of this and, whatever your personal memory of music in the 80s, Rewind has it covered.

Getting There and Back – 7/10
Access from the M40 or M4 is a doddle, with the site only a short distance from the A404/M. Parking is in large fields and free, with a short walk to the festival site. Leaving however, it does take some people over two hours to get off site and if the festival grows, something will have to be done about the traffic bottlenecks. The fields are bumpy when dry, but when they become muddy some off-road skills are needed, luckily a big red tractor and plenty of revellers are on hand to help those who might get stuck.

The Site – 8/10
Though some main arteries are gravel, most of the site is grass, making it difficult for the disabled and those wheeling trolleys (preferred form of heavy baggage transportation for campers). There are also concerns over the distinct lack of clearly labelled bins and the quantity and overall state of the portable loos. The addition of men's open-air urinals is a major success, and a source of amusement for the girls queuing patiently to use the toilets –“ we can see you” and “we know what you're doing” the favourite quotes.

£4 for a bottle of beer or half a glass of wine is extortionate, though on the plus side 20 L&B cigarettes are only £5, and £1.50 for a bottle of water is not too bad.

Atmosphere – 10/10
The atmosphere is brilliant. The perfect mix of fun, energy, passion and excitement with plenty of singing along to the hits too. From the gates opening each day at midday, until fireworks around 10pm, there is a buzz and an energy, but with a general calm. With the majority of those attending the festival aged 35 to 50, the crowd is likely to be a little more mature than most festivals, but when adding a number of families and a sprinkling of under 25s to the mix, it provides a real treat. Everyone is really chatty and friendly, and there is always someone around willing to help you out. A big contributory factor to the atmosphere is the number of people who have dressed up, with big wigs and fluorescent clothing the order of the day. Some groups also went for a theme with super heroes and TV characters favourites.

Music – 9/10
For the 80’s music fan, the line up is amazing. The only reason the score cannot be a ten is due to technical issues with 10CC in particular (see below) and the fact the sound quality is not consistent across the two days. The other major minus point was the terrible vocal performance by Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot from Curiosity Killed the Cat. He looked good, but sounded awful, slurring his words and mumbling lyrics.

Uppers

Heaven 17 - 8/10
All the hits sung in what can only be described as an incredibly polished performance. The awesome backing vocals on ‘Temptation’ make it the song of the weekend, especially as it is introduced. The Henley crowd are quickly enthralled by the slow start and incredible power of the vocals backed by that distinctive synthesised sound. Pure theatre.

Jimmy Somerville - 10/10
With Jimmy on stage it is like being in a time warp - the man has not changed. He still has the great voice, the energy and the ability to get everyone up and dancing in short a terrific performance from the wee Scotsman.

10CC - 10/10
Having to start over as the crowd can’t hear them, 10CC are true stars. They have a new lead singer, but the sound is really good and really gets everyone going. It’s an awesome set and their smiles at the end of it say it all – they enjoyed it as much as the crowd.

Midge Ure – 8/10
Whilst not showing his age and with a vocal as strong as ever, Midge Ure delivers a fantastic show with a set that covers his solo, Ultravox and Visage careers.  These are all very well delivered and, most importantly, received.

Marc Almond - 9/10
‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ gets a thorough airing as Mr Almond camps up a wonderful performance, both vocally and visually in a set that seemed short, but was in fact over half an hour. His vocals are still strong and distinctive and the crowd is so entranced by him that it doesn't even notice the dark clouds looming behind them.

Tony Hadley/Go West/ABC – 9/10
The big Sunday finale! Tony, Peter and Martin. Tony is taking over as host, and sings a few songs before he and Peter Cox cover all manner of different song from ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Addicted to Love’, ‘Sex on Fire’ and even ‘I Predict a Riot’, which can be somehow forgiven in the festival finale as the goal is to finish on a massive high. Both men have got great voices, and Tony Hadley seems to be Mr Smooth until Martin Fry arrives, effortlessly taking the stage over and despite the heavy rain, lifts the crowd to a smiley state, before Tony comes back on to give everyone goosebumps.

Downers

Curiosity Killed The Cat – 2/10
Though he starts off well, he quickly fades and starts slurring his words, much to the dismay of fans and critics alike. His singing is weak and at times inaudible. This very poor showing leaves the crowd feeling somewhat cheated, despite a great audio performance from the band.

Boy George – 5/10
George initially leaves the crowd waiting singing karaoke style, but then comes on saying he has to cut the set short due to other acts overrunning and goes on to perform all manner of non-80's songs, including ‘Hare Krishna’, which is simply self indulgent. After a fun and energetic day, Boy George failed to build on the momentum, playing slow songs, that did not take the crowd where they wanted to be at the end of the day.

Random Events
The crowd sees a number of seemingly ad hoc air displays overhead throughout the weekend, with solo and dual plane acrobatics entertaining the crowds, most notably during Hazel O'Connor's set, making the outline of a heart.

The silent disco is a big success with many saying they would like it extended next year, as it is the funniest thing they have done in ages.

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