Truly Hadley DEEPLY
Tony Hadley is back in the East Midlands this month, headlining the Back To The 80s & 90s Festival in Leicestershire. HELEN BARNES spoke to him
How do you feel about headlining the festival?
Brilliant. Funnily enough, my wife is from the Midlands, so we travel that way a lot. I just love gigging, it’s great fun. There will be a lot of brilliant artists on the day and that’s going to be part of it as well – just meeting all the others that maybe you haven’t bumped into for a few years. We’re just going to play some cracking music and have a good time.
There are a lot of festivals to choose from so how do you decide which to do?
People just phone up, really, but as I get offered so much, a lot do get turned down. We’re doing a lot abroad at the moment, in Spain, Italy and Germany because we are promoting the album Talking To The Moon over in those countries now – and soon in Australia and America, so we’re not doing quite as much in the UK.
I remember going to Rewind about 10 years ago and you were headlining there. It had been really hot all day and then the heavens opened just before you came on.
I remember that – it absolutely tipped it down. It was ridiculous. I said to the band that there’s not going to be anyone out there, I thought they’d all go home, but they didn’t. They stayed and just embraced the rain and the mud – it was like a mini Glastonbury.
Would you stick it out in the rain for a band you were keen to see then?
Yeah, definitely. I think when you go to a festival, you’re going with a certain attitude, like “this is a big day out, I’m going to see some fantastic music, have a few beers, something to eat and it’s going to be a party!”
Are you familiar with the dialect here in the East Midlands? If someone offers to take you to a “cob shop” what would you guess they were going to buy you?
Oh god, I don’t know. Shoes?
It’s a bread roll
I really didn’t know that, I was thinking cobs, maybe short for cobblers.
There are a number of boy bands at the festival this year so if you were to create a “man band” for it, which artists would you choose? They can be alive or dead
Me, Peter Cox, Freddie Mercury and Daryl Hall. That would be quite cool.
■ Tony Hadley headlines Back to the 80s & 90s Festival at Cattows Farm, Heather, on Saturday, August 31. Others appearing on the bill that day include Nik Kershaw, D:Ream, East 17, 911 and Jive Bunny. The festival runs from August 30 to September 1. For the full line-up on each day and to buy tickets search eventbrite.co.uk. Tony Hadley is also appearing at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on the Let’s Rock The Retro Winter Tour on Friday, November 29, with Marc Almond, Jimmy Somerville, Nik Kershaw, Sonia, Dr & The Medics, Then Jerico, Altered Images, Toyah, Bow Wow Wow’s Annabella, Peter Coyle (ex Lotus Eaters) and Boney M. Tickets start at £44.88 from motorpointarena nottingham.com and 0843 373 3000.