Icons of the 80s - Go West, Nik Kershaw, Cutting Crew

Palace Theatre, Manchester on Sun 25th Feb 2018

Being a young child of the 80s, there’s some songs I went out and bought. My pocket money went on New Kids on the Block and music more engineered for our youthful ears and eyes. However there’s songs you were aware of, and as time goes on you listen to more than the ones you bought. Go West had a bunch of those songs, so tonight its time to see how they stand up live. No strangers to touring live still, having toured with T’Pau and others, this round sees them buddy up with Cutting Crew and Nik Kershaw. Now these last two I only know one song by, so it is interesting how they fill a set.

Cutting Crew are on stage promptly at 7:30pm. Songs like ‘One For The Mockingbird’ and ‘I’ve Been In Love Before’ I do not recognize but show off guitar skills from the London band. Nick Van Eede is still leading the band, who have seen many line up changes over the years. Before ‘Berlin In Winter’ brings a tale of a different 9/11, which in 1989 was the date in November when the wall came down, a couple of days after which Cutting Crew played the capital. What a time to be there!

There’s a cover of REM’s ‘The One I Love’ from 1987 followed by of course ‘(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight’ ends their short set with its driving riffs and chorus. The guys then leave the stage open for Go West and Nik Kershaw, who together perform U2s ‘Beautiful Day', an odd choice as it’s a 2000 track. Peter Cox and Richard Drummie then leave the stage and Nik Kershaw plays his hit ‘Wild Boy’, followed by ‘Dancing Girls’ with its truly 80’s beat. Go West return to help with Chesney Hawkes 90’s hit ‘One and Only’, which is ok as Nik write this one in the late 80s for Hawkes (every days a school day!).

There’s chance now for a 20 minute break, whereas the entire Go Nik West Kerhsaw amalgamation return to perform Tears for Fears ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’. The guys are sharing talented touring musicians. For the younger among us (for once I can count myself in that proportion at a gig) there’s some eye candy in the form of the extremely pro guitarist Ben Lochrie who can’t half play that axe!

Nik takes the stage for a run through of his songs, ‘When A Heart Beats’, ‘Don Quixote’, and ‘The Riddle’, which I have heard before! The gang return for a cover of Duran Duran’s ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’. Go West then take over for their ballad ‘Goodbye Girl’, ‘Black and Gold’ and the rousing ‘Call Me’.

Back together again to perform the Eurythmics ‘Sweet Dreams’ and then Nik’s hit ‘Wouldn’t It Be Good’, then the song I came along for ‘We Close Our Eyes’. They stay together on stage now to play ‘I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ and the fantastic ‘King of Wishful Thinking’. The encore strangely enough is the Kings Of Leon’s 2008 track ‘Sex On Fire’, so this show real does travel the decades a bit but is performed by talented icons from that time of shoulder pads, big hair and catchy pop songs, many of which we hear tonight. Well recommended for the nostalgia trip.

 

article by: Danielle Millea

published: 26/02/2018 13:28



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