Stars of the 80s come out for summer concert at Audley End

Some of the most beloved pop music icons from the 1980s will come together for an open-air concert at Audley End House & Gardens this summer.

Jason Donovan, Midge Ure, Five Star, Hot Chocolate, Altered Images, T’Pau and Toyah are the magnificent seven acts that make up the bill for Here And Now – Back To The 80s on Friday, July 13.

The event features the acts performing their best-loved hits back to back in a non-stop live show.

Concert-goers can take their own picnics or order hampers in advance. There will also be street food traders, gourmet caterers and champagne, Pimm’s and craft beer stalls.

Since 2001, Here and Now acts have played to hundreds of thousands of fans across the country and tours have included Australia, the Far East, Japan and across Europe.

The line-up for Here And Now – Back to The 80s at Audley End is an unparalleled feast of pop.

Jason Donovan rocketed to fame in Australian soap Neighbours before embarking on a pop career that led to chart-topping hits worldwide such as Too Many Broken Hearts, Sealed With a Kiss and, of course, his duet with his former Neighbours co-star, Kylie Minogue, on Especially for You.

Midge Ure has received Ivor Novello and Grammy Awards, as well as a flotilla of gold and platinum records, for his work in bands such as Ultravox, Visage and Band Aid.

He regularly topped the charts in the 80s, be it with Visage (Fade to Grey), Ultravox (Vienna, Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, Love’s Great Adventure) or under his own name (No Regrets, If I Was).

With their dynamic sound and dance routines, Five Star made a sizeable mark on both the UK and US charts in the 80s. The Pearson siblings became the youngest group ever to top the British charts, beating a record held by Michael Jackson, and scored six top 10 singles with their No 1 album Silk & Steel, including hits such as System Addict, Rain or Shine and Find The Time.

Hot Chocolate’s disco era pop saw them have a hit single every year between 1970 and 1984, with tracks such as It Started With a Kiss, So You Win Again and You Sexy Thing, which became the only song to make the British top 10 in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Altered Images, fronted by singer and actress Clare Grogan when she was still studying for her A-levels, achieved worldwide success in the early 80s, recording three top 10 albums and six top 10 singles, including Happy Birthday, Change of Heart and Don’t Talk to Me About Love, winning an NME award for best new group in the process.

T’Pau, fronted by the instantly recognisable Carol Decker, released their debut album, Bridge of Spies, in 1987, which went quadruple platinum. Their pop-rock blend has seen them sell out arenas with hit singles such as Heart and Soul, which stayed on the US Billboard chart for six months, peaking at No 4, and most notably China In Your Hand, which occupied the No 1 slot in the UK for five weeks.

Actress, author, presenter and singer Toyah Willcox has had a successful, prolific and diverse career with major hit records and prestigious stage and screen roles to her credit. In a career spanning more than 30 years, she had eight top 40 UK singles, including Thunder In The Mountains, It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free.

Tickets go on general sale on Friday (February 23) at https://www.ticketline.co.uk/heritage-live-concerts. VIP options for the show are also available.