Spandau Ballet superstar to headline Festival by the Sea
One of the biggest pop stars of the 80s will be headlining this summer’s Festival by the Sea in Northumberland.
Spandau Ballet member and actor Martin Kemp will be entertaining Sunday crowds with his massively popular Back to the 80s disco.
Spandau Ballet superstar Martin Kemp bringing his Back to the 80s disco to Northumberland
Festival by the Sea – which began life as the North East Chilli Fest in 2012 – takes place on the 17, 18 and 19 July and will be held for the third time at Meggie’s Burn Fields in Blyth.
On Sunday, as well as Martin Kemp, there will be performances by Hip Hip Hooray and duo Love Like This on the main stage.
Before then an extra special Saturday night will feature an evening of music curated by Smoove and Turrell, who are widely regarded as one of the best British soul and funk bands.
“They’ve been fantastic when they’ve appeared at the festival over the last few years, but for 2020 we wanted to step it up even further,” said organiser Mark Deakin.
Saturday night has been billed “An Evening with Smoove and Turrell and Friends” and, said Mark, the audience is in for a rare treat.
In addition to playing their own songs Smoove and Turrell will be hosting performances by disco indie outfit Vanderbilt, soul and blues singer Izo Fitzroy, DJ Mojaxx and the seven-piece live funk extravaganza The Haggis Horns. More acts will be confirmed over the coming weeks.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be able to announce the news about Martin Kemp and our other confirmed acts. With six months to go – and more news to come – this already looks like it’s going to be our best-ever line up,” said Mark.
“Back to the 80s has been going down a storm everywhere Martin’s appeared. Who doesn’t love 80s music – and it doesn’t get much better than one of the legends playing some of the classics from that time.”
In Martin Kemp’s previous sets he has treated sold-out crowds to hits by Bros, Chaka Khan, Madness, Queen, Rick Astley, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and, of course his own Spandau Ballet.
“Everybody knows the words and we’re expecting people to get in the mood and dress the part – so we want to see plenty of leggings, shoulder pads and very big hair,” said Mark.
The pain and the pleasure of Rob Dumbrell’s world famous Chilli Eating Competition at last year’s Festival by the Sea
Regular visitors will be delighted to learn that the festival is once again hosting Rob Dumbrell’s world famous Chilli Eating Competition, which last year saw a heated battle as brave amateurs took on the undefeated UK Chilli Queen Shahina Zeenat Waseem. “As ever there will be a combination of what everybody expects from Festival by the Sea plus a few new surprises,” said Mark.
The weekend provides a fantastic mix of live music, the UK’s best street food, a selection of bars and plenty of artisan produce to try and buy at the Producers Market. There are also lots of attractions to keep children entertained.
A number of different tickets are now available. They range from weekend tickets, including camping, to day admission. Early bird offers are now available with a three-day entry pass costing just £15.
Visit https://festivalbythesea.co.uk/ for more details.
Coverage:
https://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/people/gold-star-lined-summer-festival-1888865
https://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/people/gold-star-lined-blyth-summer-festival-2441897