ABC
They
kick started the
80’s with
their new brand
of pop for a new
decade. Fusing dance
floor finesse with
a post punk attitude,
they released their
first single “Tears
Are Not Enough”,
in the autumn of
1981 (No. 19). More
hits followed in
rapid succession,
“Poison Arrow”(No.
6), “The Look
of Love” (No.
4) and “All
of my Heart”
(No. 5). Also included
in their play list
are: “That
Was Then This Is
Now” - “S.O.S”
- “How To
Be A Millionaire”
- “Be Near
Me” - “When
Smokey Sings”
- “The Night
You Murdered Love”
- “King Without
A Crown” -”One
Better World”
- “Lover Conquers
All” and “Say
It”.
Adam
Watkiss
Star of ITV’s
hit series “This
is The Moment”.
With the Mike Alexander
Quartet “Some
Enchanted Evening”
songs from West
End & Broadway
shows.
Bad
Manners (featuring
Buster Bloodvessel)
Good-time ska band
fronted by shaven-headed
Buster Bloodvessel.
They spent more
weeks in UK charts
in 1980 than anyone
else bar Madness.
They perform all
the well-known hits
such as “Special
Brew” –
“Can Can”
and “My Girl
Lillipop”.
Barbara
Dickinson
A familiar face
of TV in the 1970’s
and 80’s who
later received acclaim
for the theatrical
forays (notably
Willy Russell’s
‘Blood Brother’)
and TV acting roles
(Band of Gold),
being awarded and
OBE in 2002. Featuring
her No. 1 hit “I
Know Him So Well”
and many other well-know
hits such as “January
February”
– “Answer
Me” –
“Another Suitcase
In Another Hall”
and “Caravan
Song”.
Billy
Bragg
Renowned for his
heartfelt political
and personal lyrics.
He became a cult
hero after a John
Peel Radio 1 session
in 1983. Featuring
his No. 1 hit “She’s
Leaving Home”
and “Sexuality”
– “Between
The Wars”
– “Days
Like These”
– “Accident
Waiting To Happen”
etc.
Bucks
Fizz
Winner of the Eurovision
Song Contest in
1981 with “Making
Your Mind Up”.
Featuring other
No. 1’s such
as, “The Land
of Make Believe,
and “My Camera
Never Lies”.
Other top 10 hits
include “Now
Those Days Are Gone”
– “New
Beginning (Mamba
Seyra)” –
“When We Were
Young”.
Chas
and Dave
Good-time ‘rockney’
music duo. The loveable
Londoners provide
a mix of music hall,
humorous ‘knees-up’
songs and early
rock ‘n’
roll, which are
ideal for pubs and
parties. Well known
hits include, “Rabbit”,
“Ain’t
No Pleasing You”
– “Gertcha”
and “Snooker
Loopy”.
China
Crisis
Featuring their
well-known hits,
such as “Wishful
Thinking”
– “Christian”
– “Black
Man Ray” and
“King In A
Catholic Style (Wake
Up)”.
Culture
Club
In 1984 they won
both Brit (Best
Group) and Grammy
Awards (Best New
Artist). Featuring
their No. 1’s,
“Do You Really
Want To Hurt Me”
and “Karma
Chameleon”
plus their other
top 10 hits “Time
(Clock Of The Heart)”
– “Church
Of The Poison Mind”
– “Victims”
– “It’s
A Miracle”
– “The
War Song”
and “Move
Away”.
Curiosity
Killed The Cat
One of the coolest
and funkiest bands
of the eighties
with their chart
topping numbers
“Down To Earth”
– “'Misfit”
and “Name
And Number”.
Dammed
(The)
Although the Sex
Pistols have come
to symbolise the
late 1970s punk
rock scene in Britain,
the Damned were
actually the first
UK punk band to
put out a record,
have a hit single
and tour America.
Hits include “Eloise”
which reached No.
3 in 1986 –
“Love Song”
– “Grimly
Fiendish”
– “Is
It A Dream”
– “Smash
It Up” and
“The Shadow
of Love”.
Dexy’s
2
Re-formed in 2003,
performing all their
well-known hits
such as “Geno”
– “There
There My Dear”
– “Come
On Eileen”
etc.
Doctor
and the Medics
Back on the road
with a new six piece
line-up and a new
set of classic party
hits, not forgetting
their own No. 1
“Spirit In
The Sky” which
reached No. 1 in
1986.
Human
League (The)
Won ‘Best
Newcommers’
at the 1982 Brit
Awards and most
well known for their
best selling No.
1 hit “Don’t
You Want Me”.
Other top 10 hits
include, “Love
Action (I Believe
In Love)”
– “Being
Boiled” –
“Mirror Man”
– “(Keep
Feeling) Fascination”
– “Human”
and “Tell
Me When”.
Other popular hits
include, “The
Lebanon” –
“Life on Your
Own” and “Heart
Like A Wheel”.
Imagination
Featuring Lee John.
Appeared solo in
ITV’s “Reborn
in the USA”.
Original lead vocalist
with all their classic
hits, including
“Body Talk”,
“Just An Illusion”,
“In And Out
Of Love”,
etc.
Jaki
Graham
Available live with
the countries top
classic soul band,
The Soul Survivors,
performing her well-known
hits such as “Could
It Be I’m
Falling In Love”
– “Round
& Round”
– “Heaven
Knows”- “Set
Me Free” –
“Step Ring
Up” –
“Mated”
– Breaking
Away” and
“Ain’t
Nobody”, plus
songs taken from
the great Motown
Songbook.
Katrina
of Katrina &
The Waves
In 1985 had a top
ten hit with the
legendary “Walking
On Sunshine”,
also represented
the UK in the Eurovision
Song Contest 1997
with “Love
Shine A Light”,
which reached No.
3 in the charts.
Kid
Creole & The
Coconuts
Top 10 its include
“Annie I’m
Not Your Daddy”
– I’m
A Wonderful Thing
Baby” and
“Stool Pigeon”.
Kim
Wilde
Most charted British
female vocalist
in the 1980’s.
Top 10 hits include,
“Kids In America”
– “Chequered
Love” –
“You Keep
Me Hanging On”
– “Another
Step (Closer To
You)” –
“ Rockin’
Around The Christmas
Tree” –
“You Came”
– “Never
Trust a Stranger”
and “Four
Letter Word”.
Limahl
Lead vocalist with
Kajagoogoo and still
vocally as good
as ever on his “Too
Shy” –
“Oooh To Be
Ah” –
“Hang On Now”
and “Big Apple”.
Midge
Ure
Most famous for
his No. 1 hit “If
I Was” and
top 10 hit, “No
Regrets”.
Also to ten hits
with Ultravox, “Vienna”
– “All
Stood Still”
and “Dancing
With Tears In My
Eyes”. Well
known for his involvement
in the Band Aid
hits, Live Aid and
the Nelson Mandela
Birthday Concert.
Nick
Heyward
One of the hottest
and most popular
artists from the
eighties. Frontman
of teenpop sensations
Haircut 100, Nick
went on to amass
more hit singles
as a solo artist
in his own right
when Haircut 100
split up. Best known
for “Whistle
Down The Wind”
– “Take
That Situation”
and “Blue
Hat For A Blue Day”.
Paul
Young
This multi Brit
Award Winner sold
seven million copies
of his ‘No
Parlez’ Album
(including more
than one million
of the UK). Most
well known for his
No. 1 hit in 1983
“Wherever
I Lay My Hat (That’s
My Home)”
and is top 10 hits
such as “Come
Back and Stay”
– “Love
Of The Common People”
– “I’m
Gonna Tear Your
Playhouse Down”and
“Everything
Must Change”.
Peter
Cox (Go West)
Starred in ITV’s
“Reborn in
the USA”.
This group were
big in the 80’s
and early 90’s
- their most well-known
80’s hits
include “We
Close Our Eyes”
– “Call
Me” and “Don’t’
Look Down (The Sequel)”
– “Goodbye
Girl” and
“I Want To
Hear It From You”.
The early 90’s
saw big hits such
as “King Of
The Wishful Thinking”
from the soundtrack
of “Pretty
Woman, also “Faithful”
– “What
You Won’t
Do For Love”
and “Tracks
Of My Tears”.
Ruby
Turner
Hits include “If
You’re Ready
(Come Go With Me)”
– “I’d
Rather Go Blind”
– “Stay
With Me Baby”
and “I’m
In Love”.
Rowland
Gift (Fine Young
Cannibals)
Unmistakable vocalist
who also acted in
films, most notably
1989’s Scandal.
Fine Young Cannibals
were amongst the
biggest selling
acts world-wide
in 1989 and won
(and returned) two
Brit awards. Top
10 hits were, “Johnny
Come Home”
– “Suspicious
Minds” –
“Ever Fallen
In Love” –
“She Drives
Me Crazy”
and “Good
Thing”.
Tony
Hadley
Former lead vocalist
with Spandau Ballet
and the winner of
the TV show ‘Reborn
in the USA’.
Hear all the hits
including “True”
– “To
Cut A Long Story
Short” –
“Gold”
– “Lifeline”
– “I’ll
Fly For You”
– “Only
When You Leave”
and “Through
The Barricades”.
Toyah
Wilcox
Visually striking
punk/pop vocalist.
Had three top ten
hits in 1981 –
“Four From
Toyah” –
“I Want To
Be Free” –
“Thunder In
The Mountains”.
T’Pau
(Carole Decker)
Carole Decker of
T’Pau, writer
and performer. Their
No. 1 hit was “China
In Your Hand”
in 1987. Other well
known hits include
“Heart And
Soul” –
“Valentine”
– “Sex
Talk” –
“I Will Be
With You”
– “Secret
Garden” and
“Whenever
You Need Me”.
Viola
Wills
From the USA legendary
soul singer who
made No. 8 in the
charts with “Gonna
Get Along Without
You Now” and
in 1986 she had
hits with “Dare
To Dream”
and “Both
Sides Now”.
Womack
& Womack
One of modern soul's
most successful
duos, comprising
husband-and-wife
team. They are most
well-known for “Teardrops”,
which reached No.
3 in 1988 and “Celebrate
The World”
which reached No.
19 in 1989.
