A little while ago we asked if you had any questions for the wonderful Carol Decker, here are the best 10.

A massive thank you to Carol for answering answer your questions, releasing a new single and promoting is a busy time so it is really appreciated.

We thought it appropriate to publish these today as T’Pau’s new single, Be Wonderful, is now available. I have posted the link on my Twitter feed @80slegends where you can download and enjoy!

1. What would you have done if you weren’t a recording Artist?I went to art school and was really staring to enjoy textiles so possibly that direction or some sort of journalism as I like writing & comment.

2. As a local girl, how did it feel playing your first gig at the Telford Ice Rink?

TIR wasn’t my first gig in Telford? But it might have been the first gig at TIR??

 Is that what you mean?  Obviously I had been gigging around the great Shropshire area for years so, there were not many places I had not played locally but yes it was nice to come back ‘BIG ‘  and play on my old stomping ground

3. When making tea are you milk first, milk last or no milk?

 I hate Tea .I’m a coffee girl unless I  have a show then I  drink some tea with honey fro my throat and I put in the  tiniest dash of milk in last as I really hate milky tea.

4. What are your favourite/least favourite venues that you have performed in?

I love the arenas like Wembley , O2  etc as they are spacious  backstage and I do like the shock and awe of a big venue .And I love  festivals as they are (usually) really chill as long as the stage crew are on top of the schedule

Smaller clubs are  a more intense relationship with the audience so that is good in a direct way

The venues I tend to  enjoy the least  are  Council run theatres. They are usually run by jobsworths who don’t care about music or promoting the show effectively.

5. Do you remember the first time you met a famous musician and the first time another famous musician talked about your music, were you star struck at all?

First really famous musician I ever met was  Robert Plant .I knew Kingsley Ward, owner of Rockfield studios in Monmouth & he gave us a production deal & studio time for our early demos

 Robert lived in Monmouth and was good friend of Kingsley’s so he would be at parties and in the shops & pubs  in town etc.Kingsley introduced him to me as ‘Planty” I had no idea who he was and always just called him Planty. It was a few years later I realised he was Robert Plant.When I told my young Guitarist , James Ashby this story he nearly died, as he LOVES Led Zeppelin. He’d have killed  to hang out with him so I was not stars truck

But when I was introduced to Debbie Harry IN Atlanta I could barely speak so then I was starstruck

I have never discussed my music with another musician outside of when I’m writing a song.

6. What was it like performing on Top of The Pops for the first time?

My first appearance on TOTP was probably one of the most  exciting things that has ever happened to me .It meant so much to be on the most watched music show in the land.I had grown up watching it and now I was appearing on it!  I also hoped that everyone  who had ever doubted me or bullied me at school was watching ! it was all I could do not to flip the bird down the camera.

If you got on TOTP your single usually soared up the charts it was a very important show. It was an institution

7. If you could have been lead singer for another 80′s Band, who would that be?

 Oooooh that’s a hard one … Roxette maybe or INXS.

8. What are your favourite ways of passing time during the lockdown?

Boxsets and drinking wine &  getting  a bit fat then working out the next morning in my garage gym so I can do it again!!

9. If you could record a duet with any male recording artist in history, who would it be?

Tom Petty.

10. What is the first thing you are going to do when the lockdown is over?

Go to the pub!

Please Tweet us at @80slegends with your thoughts, the list will be amended later today and the First Round Draw made:

Thank You

The 80′s Hog

Four years ago myself and Vince Maple raised £3,000 and we hope to at least match that total again. As a Dad to four boys, I can’t imagine the difficult situations that some families go through, thankfully supported by the brilliant team at Demelza. I’m pleased to be able to support them in this fun way.  I hope many people will come along to support the event.

Vince, who is a Labour Councillor in Chatham, added “It was a fantastic experience four years ago raising £3000 for this brilliant local charity.  It is an honour to represent the community that Demelza called home in her short but amazing life. It’s great that AMF have offered support in hosting the event this year, we hope to put the fun in fundraising.”

We are grateful to AMF Bowling Gravesend for agreeing to host this 80′s Marathon. Lewis Harvey, Manager of AMF Gravesend said “It’s great that we can give the local community an opportunity to give to a charity that is close to many people’s hearts.”

If you would like to make a donation, the link to our giving page is below. If you would like a mention or of course you would like us to play your favourite 80′s number please mention that when donating. It would be great to see as many people there as possible to support us. There are also plans to stream this event live, we will keep you all posted with all developments.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Hairy-Vince-The-Hog80s

1. The Final Countdown – Europe (1986) - Does it do what it says on the tin, just a few days left for a united Europe?

2. Should I Stay or Should I Go – The Clash (1982)- Well, that’s for you to decide folks.

3. A New England – Kirsty MacColl (1985) – Will we be waking up to this on June 24th?

4. Together We Are Beautiful – Fern Kinney (1980) – If you see it like this, will you vote to stay in?

5. Single Life – Cameo (1985) – If this is what you prefer, will you vote out?

6. Alone Without You – King (1985) – Will we be all alone in a global wilderness on June 24th?

7. European Female – The Stranglers (1983) – Ladies, will you still be described as this by the end of the month?

8. Drowning In Berlin – The Mobiles (1982) – Will the German nation be swimming in tears of joy or sadness?

9. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye – Soft Cell (1982) – Which way will this relationship go? Nobody really knows.

10. The Politics of Dancing – Re-Flex (1984) – Whatever happens, we vote for an 80′s Party.

It was fascinating to hear that the move to a musical career was the result of “fluffing” her A Levels. Having what she described as a “lucky day” on passing her eleven plus, Carol felt like a fish out of water in a Science and Mathematics environment. This led to some dead end jobs and then on to Art School in Shrewsbury as a mature student at the age of 22. This new community was diverse, creative and artistic, it was here that she met Julian who was looking for a singer for his band. After an audition, Carol joined a SKA band known as The Lazers. Carol remembers recording at studios in Coventry where The Specials and The Selector were also making music.

I asked Carol if back in the 80′s she ever thought that T’Pau would still be in demand nearly thirty years later.

“I can’t answer that question in the context in which you asked it because as a young 20 something in a Rock N’ Roll Band I didn’t think past the next day. I didn’t think.. I hope this is an investment for my future, I was careering around the world, I was having hit records, staying in great Hotels and having a great time and that’s as far as my thought process went. Now I’m older, I do it the other way round and look back 28 years ago when Bridge of Spies was released and realise unwittingly what a great classic album we’ve written with the pop classics Heart and Soul and China. I hadn’t realised that I had invested in my future writing such strong songs I just didn’t realise that at the time.”

“A lot of people love the eighties especially if you are a certain age, it was an era in which you were forged, most of us have got happy memories of the eighties. I know some people don’t, it was politically a difficult time but when you think what a diverse and creative decade it was, from Post Punk, New Romantic, Electro Pop through to Pop Rock bands like T’Pau. The decade was really diverse, huge characters. Boy George, Madonna, Michael Jackson. The birth of everything from The Sinclair C-5 through to the mobile phone, the birth of MTV, the Pop Video, what an amazing decade and I think that was all mixed in with us. Set against some of the depressing things that are happening today, some think that they would like to go back to better times when the music was great.”

I commented on how accessible artists from the 80′s had become today and Carol raised a point in regards to success and fame.

“Back then a machine would have run it and as a very big artist you couldn’t possibly talk to everybody, if I was Adele for example everybody wants to talk to me and you have to cherry pick because you are too popular almost, when it all calms down a bit it becomes a bit more realistic.”

What about the music scene today, the manufactured sound and artists it produces?

” Nothing against the kids of today for trying, if I was twenty now I might be in the queue for X-Factor you’re just trying to catch a break. I’m not a snob about it but I hate the way the X-Factor number one has almost become part of the British Christmas tradition, it’s so bland, it’s almost like churning out a load of Westlife’s.”

How does it feel at live performances when the audience know the words to China and can sing it word for word?

“It always puts a tingle down my spine, China was number one as we speak now (28 years ago) right now every night I sing that song on stage. I always mention to the audience that China was number one at that time and they sing even louder. I hadn’t realised that myself and Ronnie had written a Pop classic, it’s very moving and uplifting and at times I feel quite emotional, there are times when I think do I have to sing that song again but if I ever feel that for five minutes it’s quickly gone when I see the impact it has on people and the cherished memories it brings back. It lifts my spirits and makes me feel very special and very lucky.”

What was the inspiration behind the song?

” I  quite simply watched a documentary about Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein at the age of nineteen. It was a piece of pulp fiction that blew the musings of her husband Percy, Byron and the crowd that they hung out with. She received massive fame and success which caused strife jealousy, pettiness and bitching within their circle. It was a good story within a story, with the story being about her writing Frankenstein which is why it starts out, It was a theme she had on a scheme he had.”

It was great to hear live some of the new material from the latest album, Pleasure and Pain. The T’Pau DNA runs right the way through and the band have stayed loyal to the formula that has worked for them since the 1980′s.  What about the future? Just finishing a gruelling thirty day tour with Go West and Nik Kershaw, Carol explained.

” In 2016 we’re going out on a twenty day acoustic tour to support the release of my autobiography entitled Heart and Soul which will be out on the 26th Jan. We will be performing acoustic versions of a cross section of all our albums with only four of us on stage at intimate venues. We will be telling some of the stories behind the songs.”

What can I say, T’Pau live, an interview with Carol Decker, news of a 2016 Tour and the release of Carol’s Autobiography. Certainly one of my personal highlights of 2016. I urge you to get your copy of Pleasure and Pain. Accomplished musicians with attention to lyrical detail, true to the T’Pau formula that we fell in love with nearly three decades ago, a must have.

The new book is already on my Birthday present wish list.

In the past, the new Wembley Stadium has been criticised for it’s poor acoustics during concert performances but last Saturday, this was the last thing on any hard rock fan’s mind when AC/DC rolled in with crunching riffs, screaming vocals, half a dozen cannons and a seriously loud PA System

Kicking off with Rock or Bust before playing classics such as Back in Black, Thunderstruck, You Shook me all night long and Whole Lotta Rosie, Angus Young and Brian Johnson wooed the 70,000+ Wembley Crowd with their on stage heroics.

Young, in his velvet burgundy school uniform and black Gibson duck-walking up and down the stage while Johnson snarled and screeched beneath his flat cap.

The show came to a dramatic conclusion with encores Highway to Hell and For those about to Rock. The latter accompanied by a 6 cannon salute coupled with one or two pyrotechnics….superb!

Go to the Heaven17.com website for more information on their tour or to the Jazz Cafe facebook page for photos of their amazing gig.

If you’ve not caught them live, do so as they are must-see band!

You never know how these things are going to turn out and to be honest expectations weren’t high. A young lady made her way  to centre stage clutching a guitar, a readjustment of the microphone location and we were ready to go. A confident introduction of the first song, a self penned track called Perfect was followed by a performance you would have been be happy to pay for.. a catchy tune followed, clever lyrics sung by someone who was clearly enjoying every moment  As you know I’m not a fan of 80′s covers but a great version of Living on a Prayer in the short but brilliant set made me smile. Her performance deserved more exposure than the thirty or so that were paying attention.

I am pleased to say that the young musician in question, Laura Hobson, agreed to this very article… Laura spent a month of  her Summer in Italy and is now back in full time education, fitting in her musical aspirations with her school work. Watching her Sister and Dad perform when growing up meant that music had been in her life at a very young age, her first show performance was at the tender age of 5. Learning to play the guitar about 4 years ago was when Laura started to take music seriously and when asked about her song writing she explained “ My experiences such as things that happened to me at school, my relationships with my friends, my family, and life’s ups and downs are what help me to write my lyrics. I find it impossible to write a song about something that I haven’t personally experienced” I asked Laura if she was disappointed at playing in front of such a small crowd on the day I heard her and she was just happy to share her music with those that were happy to listen. “I performed to about 600 people at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford a few years ago which was such an amazing opportunity and a real confidence boost… even though I was so nervous!”

I managed to obtain a copy, from her Dad, of some recordings done at Seahorse Studios in Essex. To my delight there was a cover of the 80′s classic, Fast Car. Once again I found myself enjoying a Laura 80′s cover, Laura said “I think the 80’s has been one of, if not the best decade for real pure music and I love covering songs from this era. Everyone loves a good 80’s track!” 

When asked about her song, Perfect, Laura was keen to mention “I like to put a little message across in my music and something I strongly believe in is that no-one is perfect. No-one wakes up in the morning looking like perfection and no-one should ever feel like they need to! Imperfection is beauty.”

I know it was a cliche question to finish with but what would Laura like for the future?

“Just playing music. Wherever! Whether it’s on a huge stage, a tiny stage, in a pub or in an arena, I know that I’ll be playing my music. I would have been to University too and studied whatever I choose in the end but no matter where I am or what position I’m in, I’ll be with my guitar in hand”

We would like to wish Laura every success and we will be keeping in touch with her progress. What makes this even the more pleasing is that Laura is from my home Town. You heard it here first, this young lady is going places.

Here is the link to a performance of Perfect… enjoy. Some of Lauras other songs are also on You Tube…all well worth taking the time to listen to..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZtffEJ1cSs

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It is 30 years since I last saw Steve Strange in the flesh.  That was at the Camden Palais and he was, as he is more famously known, a club promoter and one of the pioneers of the New Romantic Movement. Fade to Grey, one of the iconic tracks of that movement both in sound and visually, are better known than Steve Strange the popstar.

So I traveled to The Glee Club in Cardiff not sure what to expect other than to see one of my 80s heroes.

This is Visages third incarnation and boasts former Ultravox guitarist, Robin Simon ,  Lauren Duvall, vocals and and a drummer Johnny Marter. The gig started with them all marching on stage in military uniforms with me half expecting a cover version of “We’re in the army now…” But no, the magic and charisma of Steve Strange engulfed the room as he began a mixture of the old and new.

He looked happy to be there is his home city with his mum, sister, friends and about 300 cross-generational fans all singing along to Shameless Fashion from the new album Hearts  And Knives. Unlike many of his contemporaries Steve was not self-indulgent with his playlist. He mixed his set well with Mind of a Toy, Anvil with Diaries of a Madman and the forthcoming single Dreamer I Know.

He did a costume change half way through to resemble the Steve Strange we know and love.

Throughout the gig he had great banter with the crowd  noticing one sporting a cuddly toy he shrieked in fear, not a bloody Telly Tubby! Ohh ohh!

The the moment came for that era defining anthem of a movement and upped popped Jason Lewis onto the stage to assist with vocals.

The gig  ended with the track Visage to everyone’s delight.

He came out afterwards for autographs and photos, disappointingly though, in rather plain attire.

The Visage Tour kicks off this September. I encourage you to go and see ths cultural icon and you will be pleasantly surprised at Steve Strange the Popstar!

Review and Pictures by Permission of Nicole Sinclaire

We would like to point you in the direction of a rare opportunity to attend a very intimate gig hosted by the great Martyn Ware with the opportunity to meet and greet the man himself, Heaven 17 and Northern Kind.

This great event will be taking place at Snibston Century Theatre, Leicestershire on Saturday 6th July. There are only 200 tickets available, showing  just how up close and personal you will be able to get to these 80′s icons.

We spoke to one of the organisers, Simon Hewitt, and he was keen to point out that £49 for a ticket represents great value. When you consider that includes a hog roast dinner, an audience with Marty Ware followed by music from Northern Kind and to conclude the evening Heaven 17 will be playing their greatest hits. The opportunity to meet and greet these great musicians will happen after in the bar area.

10% of the purchase price of each ticket will got to one of three charities.

This is a rare opportunity and we would encourage any 80′s Fans to attend.

Here is the link for further details and how to secure your ticket:

http://www.silicondreams.org.uk/pages/181.htm