Soft Cell and Peter Hook & The Light rock Rochester Castle concerts
Published: 11:37, 08 July 2023
Updated: 10:19, 09 July 2023
It was a beautiful sunny evening and I was excited as I made my way to Rochester Castle to see 80s synthpop duo Soft Cell.
The new wave pair, Marc Almond and David Ball, were a big part of my life when I was growing up and their 1981 hit, Tainted Love, was played so many times in my bedroom on my cassette tape, eventually it broke and I had to Sellotape it back together.
Fast forward 40 years or so, and there I was in front of the stage in the castle gardens waiting for them to start entertaining me.
I’d heard the night before when Nile Rodgers and Chic performed there were long queues for everything – getting in, the bars and the loos – but not last night.
It was seamless getting in and it was very easy and quick getting a drink, albeit the first one you buy is £2 dearer than the rest as you have to purchase your beaker.
DJ Aadil Rasheed kept the crowds bopping around with some classic new romantic 80s tracks until Peter Hook & The Light came on.
I knew nothing about this band, I knew he used to perform with post-punk New Order, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember any of their tracks, well that was until he started singing them.
Their set was stunning and really got fans in the mood to jig around the grounds and when they performed Blue Monday the place went wild with excitement.
You can tell this band really still enjoy performing and the crowds loved their set.
I don’t know if there were less people at the Soft Cell gig than at the Nile Rogers one the night before; it seemed busy enough to me, and my dancing buddies and I found a nice little spot not too far from the front to enjoy the live performances and it was perfect.
So when it was time for the main act to come on we were in a good position and Marc Almond blew me away from the moment he and his band mates came on stage.
Boy, can that man still perform. He’s a great singer, still hitting all the right notes and when Where Did Our Love Go came on, the fans were singing at the top of their voices to the lyrics.
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye went down equally well, but when the crowds recognised the intro to my favourite track, Tainted Love, the cheers and smiles on people’s faces said it all.
We all sang the whole track along with Marc and bopped around the castle like true romantic synthpop groupies feeling like we did when we were teenagers.
In fact, last night’s gig, was one of the best I have seen at Rochester. It was a fab night and everything was perfect and there was absolutely nothing tainted about it at all…
The concerts continue this weekend with Fat Freddy’s Drop tonight and the Sugababes tomorrow (Sunday).
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KentOnline Court Reporter