Kentish Express Ashford & District
Paying tribute to the greats
New Romantic heartthrobs, disco divas and the Fab Four are all being honoured in tribute nights across the county
Kick off your Saturday night with not one, but two, of the biggest bands of the 1980s. Be transported back to the era of the New Romantics with From Gold to Rio, a tribute show dedicated to the music of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran.
Between them, the pop powerhouses released a string of successful songs during the decade, including Gold, True, Through the Barricades, Rio, The Reflex and Girls on Film.
Singer Chris Clark will portray Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon while Lee James will perform as Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, a role he has been playing for the past 10 years. The pair will be at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone on Saturday, April 20.
Sticking with the ‘80s, there’s a healthy dose of big hair and even bigger riffs in the Retro Rock Show.
The throwback night, taking place at the Sinden Theatre in Tenterden on Saturday, April 20, will blast audiences with head-bangers from the likes of Queen, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Prince, Billy Idol, Heart and more.
Whether it’s a gut-wrenching power ballad or a high-octane guitar solo, fans of classic rock will be singing - or screeching along to every word.
Dancing divas won’t be missing out this weekend as there’s a funk-tastic night of disco fever heading to Kent.
The Last Days of Disco will be bringing all of the genre’s most cherished tunes to the Central Theatre in Chatham on Saturday, April 20.
So, grab your go-go boots, dig out that sequined jumpsuit and get ready to boogie on down to the likes of Irene Cara, Lipps Inc, Debarge, the Pointer Sisters, Shalamar, Kool and the Gang, Chic and more. Vocal group So Diva, who appeared on The Voice, will be performing all the hits with their live band. From being the voice of Pretty Woman to joining British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, Roy Orbison has gone down in history as one of the greats.
Now, his remarkable career is being honoured by musician Barry Steele, who is bringing
the Roy Orbison Story to Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone on Saturday, April 20.
With a live five-piece band backing him up and wearing the guitarist’s trademark black outfits and dark sunglasses, Barry Steele gives fans of the 1960s singer a chance to relive the glory days with hits such as Crying and Running Scared.
While many, many Beatles tribute acts have come and gone over the years, the Bootleg Beatles have proved that they’re here to stay.
The group, who have been performing together since 1980, are widely acknowledged as one of the best Fab Four tributes in the world, having performed thousands of shows both in the UK and internationally, including supporting Oasis at their nowlegendary Knebworth gig.
The band are hitting the road again for another nostalgic trip down memory lane, taking audiences through every era of The Beatles’ sensational career, from the early days at the Cavern Club to the British Invasion. They will be at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury on Tuesday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 24.