NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL A CONCERT!

WHETHER you grew up in the Eighties, Nineties or Noughties, it’s simply impossible that you won’t own at least one Now That’s What I Call Music album – and the majority of us own a lot more.

Now, though, there’s an entirely new way to experience the phenomenon of these albums – with Now That’s What I Call The 80s Live at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on Saturday, November 16.

A stellar band and West End singers will be performing songs by such artists as Whitney Houston, Duran Duran, Bon Jovi, Wham!, Madonna, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Billy Joel.

And MC Gary Davies, a BBC

Radio 1 legend, is thrilled to be on board.

How happy are you to be involved in the tour?

It’s fantastic. I guess when I stopped radio the first time round at the end of 1993, the Eighties weren’t considered so cool and in the 25 years I was away they became super cool. Coming back to the Sounds of the 80s show on Radio 2 has been great and I am really looking forward to taking the sounds out on the road with Now. I started on Radio 1 in December 1982 and I think the first Now came out a year later, so I saw the incredible impact the albums had. It really became the definitive guide to what was a hit, what was going to be a hit.

Did you feel at the time the Eighties were cool?

other side of the music business creating music with a publishing company and a production company, so I was busy getting on with life and a new venture so I never gave it much thought. It is amazing how popular the Eighties is now but what is great about it is it’s not just people who were born in the Eighties or experienced it first time around, it has crossed so many generations. With the show I do on Radio 2, the demographic is so huge and varied.

What made the Eighties so special?

The Eighties was a very special decade because you had so many different types of music all being successful at the same time. You had the aftermath of punk, the start of new wave, the new romantics, rock, heavy rock like ACDC and Def Leppard, the mega super cool rock bands like U2 and INXS and Simple Minds, amazing soul music from people like Cameo and Michael Jackson, then of course mega pop acts like Kylie, Madonna and Rick Astley. It was a decade like no other in terms of variety and it was all successful at the same time.

How did you become involved in the tour?

Now very kindly asked if I would like to host the tour and it is such a legendary album that I thought it would be an amazing thing to do. The songs the bands are going to play and the singers are going to sing are the best of the Eighties. If you want to go out and have a great Eighties party, this is it.

What do you think of the track list and were you involved

DJ Gary Davies will host Now That’s What I Call The 80s Live in Birmingham.

in choosing it?

It’s really difficult when it comes to picking a tracklisting. I say don’t ask me my favourite Eighties songs as I’d need to list 100. We will have the best party bangers you could hope to have in two and a half hours. Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax is one of my all time favourite Eighties songs, then there is party stuff like Cyndi Lauper and Billy Joel. But not just party stuff, something a bit more downtempo too, like Prince’s Purple Rain.

Any special memories of any of the original artists?