Palmerston park arena in Dumfries was a riot of colour and noise recently as it played host to a nineteen eighties themed event.
Retro cars and fashions provided the backdrop to a day which saw the masses come along to enjoy a nostalgic trip back to the decade of day glo fabrics,big hair and MTV pop culture. The event featured a number cars from the eighties restored to pristine condition, top sellers in their day such as Ford Escorts, Fiestas and Vauxhall Cavaliers were fondly viewed by the crowds who would have remembered either themselves or their parents owning similar vehicles.
Robert MacDonald from the car owners group called Scottish Retros commented “ Wherever we take our cars people flock to see them, we mainly own and restore the types of cars that ordinary people would have owned in their youth, coming along to Dumfries was a great day out for us and we thoroughly enjoyed being part of this nostalgic get together.”
Fashion and dance routines were provided by the Dumfries based youth theatre group called Stagecraft, James Napper who runs the group said “ We had such a good time researching eighties fashions and dance routines, the kids loved being dressed up in all the super bright colours and dancing to music from their parents era.”
Westsound radio were on hand to provide music which characterised the decade, timeless classics such as “The look of love” and” Never Gonna Give You up” drifted across the packed car park as people studied the cars and cheered the dance routines.
Gina Lawson who arrived resplendent in high heeled shoes and leg warmers joined in the fun by posing on a classic scooter “ Gina who is a textile artist and designer commented “ The eighties was such an iconic era, it gave rise to fashions which have outshone all the decades since, when the organisers asked me to come along to support the event, l was very happy to do so.”
Queen of the South players in the form of Dean Brotherston and Aidan Smith also joined in the fun and were on hand to help with free football coaching for youngsters as part of the overall event.
The event was organised by Queen of the South football club in association with Sid Ambrose productions to help publicise a major retro style concert taking place this summer. The 4th of June will see big name acts from yesteryear such as Bob Geldof and the original Boomtown Rats appearing alongside pop legend Rick Astley at Palmerston park football ground in Dumfries, the all day event also plays host to ABC fronted by Martin Fry, The Stars From The Commitments, Edinburgh new wake punk act the Rezillos and Galloway based pipe rock outfit The Dangleberries.
The Dangleberries will ignite the party when they open the stage for the all day concert with their unique interpretations of classic rock songs, performed on bagpipes and drums .
Concert attendees will also get a chance to see pop legend Rick Astley perform. His latest single called Keep Singing is currently on the Radio Two A list and receiving national airplay on the run up to it's official release, he recently appeared on the Chris Evans show to talk about his new album and tour which has seen many venues being sold out. When he exploded onto the music scene in 1987, Rick Astley appeared fully developed with a rich tone and a soulful depth of delivery that belied his years. Following the release of his début single “Never Gonna Give You Up”, the 21 year old became a pop sensation overnight. Within 2 weeks of its release, the single reached Number 1 in the UK, and went on to hit Number 1 in 16 other countries worldwide. The following 2 years saw Rick continue to dominate the charts around the globe. With songs such as Don't say goodbye, Together Forever and Hold Me In Your Arms. In the UK, Rick was in the Top 40 every week for the first 6 months of his career, and today still holds the record of being the only male solo artist to have his first 8 singles reach the Top Ten in the UK.
Palmerston Park will also enjoy a performance from Martin Fry and his band ABC who were one of the most popular new wave bands of the early 80's. ABC were said to have built upon the detached, synthesized R&B pop of David Bowie and Roxy Music, adding a self-conscious, sense of theatrics and style. Under the direction of vocalist Martin Fry, the group scored several catchy, synth driven dance-pop hits in the early '80s, including "Poison Arrow," "Look of Love," and "Be Near Me."
The afternoon underbill will also see The Stars From The Commitments and The Rezillos following on from the Dangleberries.
The Stars From The Commitments are a gritty Dublin based nine piece soul band who feature some original cast members from the popular movie The Commitments. Following it's release in 1991 it has since been voted as best Irish film of all time. Meanwhile the former cast members and other musicians have toured the world delivering a powerhouse soul set which has even impressed the likes of former American president George Bush. Event attendees can expect to hear classic tracks like Mustang Sally,Take Me To The River and Nowhere To Run.
Edinburgh punk rockers The Rezillos first appeared on the scene in the late 70's and immediately stood apart from their more nihilistic contemporaries by performing an upbeat play-list which is heavily influenced by 50's rock and 70's glam. They once appeared on a prime time music television show called Top of the Pops ironically to perform their hit single also called Top of the Pops . Winners of the Tartan Clef Award and support act for The Proclaimers at Edinburgh's world famous Hogmanay celebrations, it is fair to say that The Rezillos are fondly regarded throughout their native Scotland.
Published on 26 April 2016 by Ben Robinson
