‘80s band to reunite for Craigie Hill festival
Perth’s 1980s chart-toppers Fiction Factory are reforming for a long-awaited hometown gig.
The band appeared on Top of the Pops alongside Madonna and heavy rockers Whitesnake when their classic synth-pop hit “(Feels Like) Heaven” climbed into the top 10.
The song has endured down the decades, clocking-up more than 40 million downloads on Spotify.
Now, to mark the 40th anniversary of penning the hit single in a Perth bedroom, the original line-up is getting back together to headline The Craigie Hill Festival on Saturday, September 10, along with dates at a festival in Belgium and another being lined-up for Germany.
Kevin Patterson, Eddie Jordan and Chic Medley will be joined by Graham McGregor and US-based Mike Ogletree, the former Simple Minds drummer, for the reunion concerts.
They teamed-up for an appearance on BBC’s ‘The One Show’ featuring classic songs in 2010, with Mike lured over the Atlantic from his home in the Carolinas.
Pauline Harrier, who is promoting the fifth festival to be teed-up at the Perth golf club, admits she had been trying to get the band back together for a Fair City gig before the pandemic wiped out live music plans for the last two summers.
“I have been trying to persuade them for a long, long time and finally it has all fallen into place,” she said.
“Fiction Factory have always been huge favourites of mine.
“They are remembered now for one massive hit song - (Feels Like) Heaven reached number six in the charts in 1984 and was a hit all over the continent.
“It still pops up on the radio regularly. It was covered by the Manic Street Preachers and popped up on a Netflix soundtrack.
“But the band put out two really good albums back in the eighties, especially ‘Throw the Warped Wheel Out.’
“They did play a few songs in front of big Rewind festival crowds more than 10 years ago but this will be a full concert at The Hill.
“The rumour mill has been going crazy. The 900 tickets are sure to sell quickly.
“People have been deprived of live music for the best part of two years so they are making the most of the rules easing off.
“Perth has a really busy events calendar this summer.”
Past Hill headliners have included Eddie Reader, Fish and Perth band The Rude Boys.
Local outfit The Mad Ferret Band will headline in the clubhouse, with The Curtains and other bands being linedup, along with food and drink outlets.
Tickets, priced £35, go on sale on Friday, March 25 through www.ticketweb.co.uk