Take a trip back to the 80’s at Wonderhall Festival
| 31st August 2021
Take a trip back to the 80’s at Wonderhall Festival: As the sun rose on the Lancashire coast on Saturday morning, we already knew we were in for a treat as we headed Lytham bound from Manchester for Wonderhall Festival.
Situated in the grand Lytham Hall grounds, Wonderhall, brought to us by the creators of Lytham Festival, opened the gates to an 80’s extravaganza and we couldn’t wait to get our teeth stuck in.
With Sonia, The Real Thing, The Fizz, Steve Norman, Hugh Cornwell, Heaven 17 and Soft Cell’s frontman, Marc Almond headlining the festival, the artists kept the energy running throughout the day, with Sonia the first to bring the crowd to their feet.
Sonia performing at Wonderhall (CUFFE & TAYLOR)
Sonia’s infectious energy had everyone stand up from their picnic blankets, and sooner than later most of the crowd were bouncing along to her Stock Aitkin Waterman soundtrack. Donning a glittery jumpsuit and a high ponytail, ‘You’ll Never Stop Me From Loving You’ had the revellers singing along before it was the turn for Steve Norman and his band ‘The Sleevz’ to take to the stage.
‘It really is a family affair’, Steve Norman laughed as he introduced his band mates- including his son on bass and his other half on percussion and backing vocals. ‘I’m no Tony Hadley’ he joked before plunging into Spandau Ballet’s sultry track, ‘True’, but his vocal performance was non the less impressive as The Sleevzs made their way through classic Spandau Ballet and threw in a couple of their own tunes along the way.
Steve Normal played a plethora of Spandau Ballet hits (CUFFE & TAYLOR)
The Fizz also provided a trip through the 80’s decade, with their 80’s mash up encouraging even the younger faces at the festival to get involved. They ended their set with the well-known 1981 Eurovision win ‘Making Your Mind Up’ and still delivered an extravagant performance, signed off with the signature skirt change from the ladies during the track.
The Fizz wowed the audience with an 80's mashup (CUFFE & TAYLOR)
As the day turned into night, Heaven 17 provided an electronic array of tracks synonymous of the synth-pop era, with Martyn Ware (of The Human League) on keys and Glenn Gregory fronting the band.
The pair took it in turns to relive their memories of the Sheffield music scene as the light show changed with the mood of the tracks. Their backing singers were also a standout of their set as they showed off their vocal ranges, before they dived into their hit single ‘Temptation’ to seal off their set.
Heaven 17 graced the crowd with their synth pop (CUFFE & TAYLOR)
The Marc Almond superfans started to weave their way through the crowd to get as close to the stage as they could before the headliner. As the lights dimmed, he and his band emerged dressed in black from head to toe, paying homage to the New Romantic’s era that Soft Cell emerged from.
With a black cross hung around his neck, Marc Almond looked so happy to be back on stage. As he delighted the crowd with the hits, he also treated the audience to the 12” version of ‘Tainted Love, before a sea of flamingos began to rise from the audience as he played ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’.
Grinning from ear to ear, Marc Almond didn’t want to leave the stage as he waved goodbye to the fans who had really been treated to a day of 80’s delights.
Marc Almond closed the show at Saturday's Wonderhall (CUFFE & TAYLOR)