Leee will stoke Imagination at Rewind festival
There is just under two months until the Rewind festival takes place at Scone Palace.
And soul stars Imagination - the band behind hits like ‘Just An Illusion’ and ‘Music and Lights’ - are already looking forward to their set at the popular ‘80s event.
The band have played Rewind festivals all over the world but always enjoy performing at the Scottish version.
And Leee John, who fronts the London group, can’t wait to take to the Scone Palace stage.
Speaking to the Perthshire Advertiser, Leee said: “Rewind is going to be great, I always enjoy it.
“I’ve toured with Rewind a few times - I even went to South Africa with them in 2012. We performed at Rewind last year, although it wasn’t in Scotland, but I have done Scotland a couple of times.”
Heading up north is something Leee always looks forward to, and the singer has put the atmosphere down to a string of great Scottish bands noting Perth frontman Alan Gorrie’s Average White Band in particular.
He added: “We always have a great time in Scotland. There’s something about Scottish groups too, they have always seemed to have a lot of soul especially the likes of Average White Band.
“There’s a lot of Imagination fans there too, which is great.”
The 1980s festival brings back a lot of memories for the huge crowds, but Leee puts the nostalgia down to a number of factors.
He continued: “It’s the strong songs, the melodies, the visuals, the innovation and the developments in technology.
“As a writer, for me that was what pushed me to write. It was the last period that I think had that, as the 1990s became about boy bands and girl bands. That was when people Leee John can’t wait to perform at Rewind in July stopped looking at the back of albums to see who wrote the songs.”
The band are still producing new music, with a new EP, ‘Police and Thieves (Remixes)’ which came out last week.
And accompanying the rerelease of Junior Murvin’s 1976 hit is a documentary on overcoming adversity, created by Leee.
He explained: “We’ve got new music out this week, which I’ve produced with Dennis Bovell. He’s like the professor of reggae, and he’s worked with Blondie and Robbie Williams in the past.
“We’ve made a mini documentary to go with Police and Thieves. It’s 11 minutes long and it’s about inspiring the youth.
“It features an ex-gang leader, retired superintendent Leroy Logan and a varied cast, and it’s about encouraging positivity through life experiences. That is something which is important to me.
But he added: “I’ll definitely try to sneak some new music in at Rewind.”
We always have a great time in Scotland