'80s music survivors return to rock the stage

Kenny Santana, Contributor, Singapore

Eighties music is back two decades later. Last week in Singapore, not one, not two, but six bands that made their mark during the "greed is good" decade of funky hair and weird makeup rocked the Live and Loud Music Festival.

Over two nights, Go West, ABC, Level 42, Shakatak, Howard Jones and INXS proved that they had survived the times. And the aging process, for that matter.

At the huge outdoor venue called the Padang, Go West got things off to an up-tempo start. As Peter Cox sang Don't Look Down, the audience got up and began to dance.

More than 10 songs were sung but the two that got the most applause were Faithful and King of Wishful Thinking.

"Do you remember the movie Pretty Woman?" guitarist Richard Drummie asked before the latter began.

Who doesn't? That's when the unforgettable intro started. I don't need to fall at your feet just cause you cut me to the bone/And I won't miss the way that you kiss me/We were never carved in stone, the audience sang in unison, showing their bathroom crooning ability.

Although Cox sometimes failed to reach the higher notes of yesteryear, the duo's high point was when everybody sang the chorus: I'll get over you I know I will/I'll pretend my ship's not sinking/And I'll tell myself I'm over you/'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking.

The rest of their set consisted of Call Me We and Close Our Eyes. There was a buzz of discontent among confirmed fans about the absence of The Tracks of My Tears, a remake of Smokey Robinson's classic, but the disappointment did not last for long as ABC took the stage.

Between bands, the audience was not left to twiddle their thumbs because games (prizes including a trip to Bali!) were thrown from the stage; food and drink (wine, wine and more wine!) were served in the field, and the music never stopped.

Distinctive '80s songs like Belinda Carlisle's Heaven is a Place on Earth and New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle were played. The gimmick worked -- instead of being bored, the audience kept on shaking to all the fun.

More than 4,000 in number, they were mostly 30-something expats and Singaporeans craving the music they grew up with. Whether it was pregnant women dancing and singing with their men, or people knocking back a few cold ones on the grass, everybody was there to have a good time.

ABC hit the stage with songs like How to be a Millionaire, All of My Heart to The Look of Love. Lead singer Martin Fry's energetic performance made him seem much younger than his 45 years. In almost an hour, ABC gave what the crowd wanted -- lively songs to rock the evening.

They were only leading the crowd to a higher level -- Level 42, that is. The band that made a tour in Indonesia only a few months back looked stronger than ever. With renditions of hits Running In The Family and Lessons In Love, the group's leader Mark King knew how to win the hearts of the audience by playing his bass like a real king.

No disrespect to Go West and ABC, but Level 42 deserved to be the final act for the day: Great performance, brilliant songs, an over-the-top performance made for a flawless closing curtain.

As they finished their set with Something About You, the audience could not wait to see what day two would bring.

Although featuring jazzy songs that were very different from the other bands, Shakatak still managed to heat up the stage. A very popular name in many countries, the group opened the concert with Invitations and soon followed with songs like Easier Said Than Done, Street Walkin', Day by Day, Don't Say That Again, Bass Solo, Dark is the Night, Nightbirds. It closed things out with Down on the Street.

Then came Howard Jones, with his wide range of music from mellow to upbeat dance songs, to shake the audience out of any lingering fatigue from the night before.

He sang Revolution of the Heart, I Don't Hate You and What is Love?, as well as the famous Everlasting Love.

But when he left the stage, the audience knew there was something missing. The people wanted more, and Jones was happy to oblige, coming back to perform his famous No One is to Blame.

No one was to blame, of course, that INXS came on next with no Michael Hutchence, the group's troubled lead singer who committed suicide in 1997. But the audience did not seem to notice that Jon Stevens was in his place, because the dynamic singer knows how to get people singing and dancing along with him.

And as the rain started falling, Stevens stood out in front, getting wet along with all his admirers.

Now, you know you are having a blast when you go to a concert in conditions like that, the umbrellas up, the shirts down, the audience feeling high. The show was over, but the feeling lingered.