Bedford Park was overrun by music fans last night (Friday), keen to get the weekend off to a flying start with sound accompaniment from a swell of eighties and nineties hit makers.
Nik Kershaw and his taut band of players had just started pushing the hits when we arrived on site.
Three decades since he smashed the charts with tracks like I Won't Let the Sun Go Down On Me and and he still sounds superb.
Nik also gave a belting rendition of The One and Only, a chart-topper for Chesney Hawkes, but it was Nik that penned it.
A perfect set from the prolific player.
Wouldn't it be good if we could start every weekend this way?
Baby D got the swelling crowd pumped with pleasers Let Me Be Your Fantasy and I Need Your Lovin,' before Go West nailed a perfect set full of classics - We Close Our Eyes and Call Me are winners, and they add in rousing moments from Kings of Leon (Sex on Fire) and Republica (Ready to Go) before wrapping up with King of Wishful Thinking. And what a voice Peter Cox still has. Wow!
Jason Donovan has carved out a stellar stage career, but he was a bona fida pop star first, and just like the two ladies who run past us arm in arm screaming his name, there are many here who will tell you he is still that pop Prince.
Although these days his onstage language is a little more colourful than back when!
He too throws in a cover version - Tears for Fears' Everybody Wants to Rule The World.
"Donald Trump..." he declares at the end of the song.
It's a set that sates all of the assembled - with Too Many Broken Hearts, Nothing Can Divide Us and Sealed with a Kiss all stirring memories of hazy days a couple of decades back.
Bizarrely though, with the world becoming more unstable, it's left to a former soap star to sing the most sensible thing we've heard in ages: 'With love to guide us, nothing can divide us.'
A great night of pop playability, but with songs that aren't ready to be relegated to the box marked 'nostalgia' just yet.
They still sound too fresh for that.
Pictures: Al Hunter
