Legwarmers at the ready

80s vs 90sLytham Proms
Lytham Proms Festival Weekend 2014 The Ultimate Party 80's V 90's. Pictured is B*Witched live on stage at the start of the concert. 1st August 2014Lytham Proms Festival Weekend 2014 The Ultimate Party 80's V 90's. Pictured is B*Witched live on stage at the start of the concert. 1st August 2014
Lytham Proms Festival Weekend 2014 The Ultimate Party 80's V 90's. Pictured is B*Witched live on stage at the start of the concert. 1st August 2014

The quaint surroundings of Lytham Green, usually frequented by dog walkers and holiday makers, were awash with tutus and legwarmers, as the Lytham Proms got underway.

Walking into the seaside festival site was like stepping into a time warp as fans donned fancy dress outfits portraying 80’s cult icons, and 90s computer game characters.

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Opening the festival on its fifth anniversary was the beret wearing sailor-suited Captain Sensible, who Happy Talked his way through four songs.

The 80s vibe continued with well-received performances from China Crisis, The Christians, Brother Beyond and Hue and Cry.

As the crowd revelled in nostalgia, Atomic Kitten propelled the audience forward a decade.

Heavily pregnant Natasha Hamilton and Liz McLarnon joked the ‘baby’ was filling in for the notably missing Kerry Katona, absent due to family issues.

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Irish 90’s act B*Witched (pictured) jigged their way onto the stage, and boyband Blue attracted a few screams.

Heather Small, formerly of the M People, showed off her amazing vocal capabilities, performing crowd pleasers like Moving On Up, One Night in Heaven and Search For a Hero.

All of the acts left their own impression, but my own personal highlights of the evening were Howard Jones whose synth pop set included Like to Get Know You Well, What is Love, and Our Song, and the closing act ABC, who were definitely worth the wait.

The ever charismatic Martin Fry sang their biggest hits, Poison Arrow, All of My Heart, When Smokey Sings and Look of Love.

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The festival was notably missing some Brit Pop which was iconic of the 90s decade, and a minor criticism was that some artists relied on backing tracks instead of live music, which didn’t really fit in with the festival edge – but in fairness they still sounded great.

If the theme was 80s versus 90s then the 80s definitely won, both in musical content and the audience’s preference for neon clothing!

Stef Hall