Whether you think the Here And Now tour is a has-been cabaret, a harmless trip down memory lane or the '80s party which never stopped, one thing is clear: we Just Can't Get Enough.
The Cruel Summer heat just around the corner, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go to Meydan for night of '80s nostalgia tonight.
Walk This Way and Don't Stop Believin' as the cream of '80s stars prove The Greatest Love of All is Never Letting Go.
The Dubai show brings favourites Boy George, Paul Young, stunning US singer Belinda Carlisle, The Real Thing, Curiosity Killed the Cat and last but by absolutely no means least, Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
They are icons of a decade not forgotten. The success of the Here And Now concept hinges on a promise of wall-to-wall hits for a generation with Sweet Dreams, who frankly would go —With or Without You —to see the faces they remember the first time round.
From the first Here And Now in 2001 the stars have been Walking on Sunshine, the shows Burning Down The House and attended by more than one million people worldwide.
You'll be Under Pressure All Night Long (All Night), so have some Faith, not Tainted Love and allow for a Total Eclipse of The Heart.
Don't be a Super Freak and miss the biggest retro night of the year. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? No, I didn't think so.
Boy George
Then: George Alan O'Dowd had his first big hit aged just 21 in 1982 with Do You Really Want Hurt Me? The British singer-songwriter was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early '80s. Culture Club was the band and Karma Chameleon the big song.
Now: He'll hit the big 50 on June 14 this year. The icon enjoyed successful tours in 2009 and there's even a London musical about his life, Taboo. Boy George announced in January this year we should expect a 30th anniversary Culture Club reunion tour sometime later in the year and that they would be releasing a new album in 2012.
Belinda Carlisle
Then: At 27 she was already famous as a member of the all-girl songwriting group The Go-Go's. But when they broke up in 1985 — she was 27 — Carlisle embarked on a solo career which eventually led to giant hits including Heaven Is A Place On Earth, I Get Weak and Circle in The Sand. Did you know? The video for Heaven Is A Place On Earth was directed by American actress Diane Keaton.
Now: Aged 52, Carlisle is still married to husband Morgan Mason, former Special Assistant to the President of the United States and son of British actor James Mason. They married in 1986 and have a son, James Duke. Her autobiography, Lips Unsealed, hit shelves last year, reaching 27 on the New York Times bestseller list. For her part in The Go-Go's, she will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in August. Carlisle was on the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars in 2009.
Paul Young
Then: Paul Young's first two singles, Iron Out the Rough Spots and a cover of Love of the Common People, had no success in the early days, but the third, a cover of the Marvin Gaye song Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home), reached No 1 in the UK singles chart for three weeks in the summer of 1983. It was only then when he re-released Love Of The Common People did it make it. Young's style was a warm, approachable white soul.
Now: Young is still famous for providing a famous lead performance on the opening and closing lines to the Band Aid single Do They Know It's Christmas? At 52, his signature dark hair is still thick, if greying slightly. His wife, model Stacey Smith, who he married in 1987, left him and according to The Daily Mail in 2009, he was working in his family restaurant.
Kid Creole & The Coconuts
Then: An American musical group created and led by August Darnell with American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway-inspired hits. Darnell was backed by The Coconuts — a glamorous trio of female singers whose line-up has changed throughout the years.
Now: Darnell now lives in Sweden and London, and still tours with the current Coconuts, Eva Tudor-Jones (Mama Coconut of 14 years from London), Jessica Forsman (from Finland, the newest member), Aimee Bramall (from London) and Bongo Eddie (the last standing original member). In 2010, the group were due to headline the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival, but were replaced by Boney M at the last minute, because of the death of Darnell's mother.
The Real Thing
Then: Three original vocalists, Chris Amoo, Eddie Amoo and Dave Smith, who had three hit singles including You To Me Are Everything, Can't Get By Without You and Feel The Force, formed in Liverpool, The Real Thing released their debut single You To Me Are Everything in 1976 but went on to become one of the biggest-selling bands of the '80s thanks to their club following.
Now: The group still continue to perform and record to this day. You can still book them for gigs, weddings and events.
Curiosity Killed The Cat
Then: This British band first hit headlines of the UK music press when they hooked up with Andy Warhol for the video of the 1986 single Misfit. Their first album, Keep Your Distance, entered the UK Albums Chart at No 1 in May 1987, and stayed in the Top Ten for 13 weeks. Curiosity Killed The Cat posters were on many walls back in the '80s around London, with frontman Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot most famous for his Frank Spencer-style beret hat.
Now: In 2000, the band reformed for an appearance on the National Lottery midweek show on BBC 1. Since then Volpeliere has toured under the name Curiosity Killed the Cat, on a number of '80s revival packages.
The Cruel Summer heat just around the corner, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go to Meydan for night of '80s nostalgia tonight.
Walk This Way and Don't Stop Believin' as the cream of '80s stars prove The Greatest Love of All is Never Letting Go.
The Dubai show brings favourites Boy George, Paul Young, stunning US singer Belinda Carlisle, The Real Thing, Curiosity Killed the Cat and last but by absolutely no means least, Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
They are icons of a decade not forgotten. The success of the Here And Now concept hinges on a promise of wall-to-wall hits for a generation with Sweet Dreams, who frankly would go —With or Without You —to see the faces they remember the first time round.
From the first Here And Now in 2001 the stars have been Walking on Sunshine, the shows Burning Down The House and attended by more than one million people worldwide.
You'll be Under Pressure All Night Long (All Night), so have some Faith, not Tainted Love and allow for a Total Eclipse of The Heart.
Don't be a Super Freak and miss the biggest retro night of the year. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? No, I didn't think so.
Boy George
Then: George Alan O'Dowd had his first big hit aged just 21 in 1982 with Do You Really Want Hurt Me? The British singer-songwriter was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early '80s. Culture Club was the band and Karma Chameleon the big song.
Now: He'll hit the big 50 on June 14 this year. The icon enjoyed successful tours in 2009 and there's even a London musical about his life, Taboo. Boy George announced in January this year we should expect a 30th anniversary Culture Club reunion tour sometime later in the year and that they would be releasing a new album in 2012.
Belinda Carlisle
Then: At 27 she was already famous as a member of the all-girl songwriting group The Go-Go's. But when they broke up in 1985 — she was 27 — Carlisle embarked on a solo career which eventually led to giant hits including Heaven Is A Place On Earth, I Get Weak and Circle in The Sand. Did you know? The video for Heaven Is A Place On Earth was directed by American actress Diane Keaton.
Now: Aged 52, Carlisle is still married to husband Morgan Mason, former Special Assistant to the President of the United States and son of British actor James Mason. They married in 1986 and have a son, James Duke. Her autobiography, Lips Unsealed, hit shelves last year, reaching 27 on the New York Times bestseller list. For her part in The Go-Go's, she will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in August. Carlisle was on the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars in 2009.
Paul Young
Then: Paul Young's first two singles, Iron Out the Rough Spots and a cover of Love of the Common People, had no success in the early days, but the third, a cover of the Marvin Gaye song Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home), reached No 1 in the UK singles chart for three weeks in the summer of 1983. It was only then when he re-released Love Of The Common People did it make it. Young's style was a warm, approachable white soul.
Now: Young is still famous for providing a famous lead performance on the opening and closing lines to the Band Aid single Do They Know It's Christmas? At 52, his signature dark hair is still thick, if greying slightly. His wife, model Stacey Smith, who he married in 1987, left him and according to The Daily Mail in 2009, he was working in his family restaurant.
Kid Creole & The Coconuts
Then: An American musical group created and led by August Darnell with American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway-inspired hits. Darnell was backed by The Coconuts — a glamorous trio of female singers whose line-up has changed throughout the years.
Now: Darnell now lives in Sweden and London, and still tours with the current Coconuts, Eva Tudor-Jones (Mama Coconut of 14 years from London), Jessica Forsman (from Finland, the newest member), Aimee Bramall (from London) and Bongo Eddie (the last standing original member). In 2010, the group were due to headline the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival, but were replaced by Boney M at the last minute, because of the death of Darnell's mother.
The Real Thing
Then: Three original vocalists, Chris Amoo, Eddie Amoo and Dave Smith, who had three hit singles including You To Me Are Everything, Can't Get By Without You and Feel The Force, formed in Liverpool, The Real Thing released their debut single You To Me Are Everything in 1976 but went on to become one of the biggest-selling bands of the '80s thanks to their club following.
Now: The group still continue to perform and record to this day. You can still book them for gigs, weddings and events.
Curiosity Killed The Cat
Then: This British band first hit headlines of the UK music press when they hooked up with Andy Warhol for the video of the 1986 single Misfit. Their first album, Keep Your Distance, entered the UK Albums Chart at No 1 in May 1987, and stayed in the Top Ten for 13 weeks. Curiosity Killed The Cat posters were on many walls back in the '80s around London, with frontman Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot most famous for his Frank Spencer-style beret hat.
Now: In 2000, the band reformed for an appearance on the National Lottery midweek show on BBC 1. Since then Volpeliere has toured under the name Curiosity Killed the Cat, on a number of '80s revival packages.
