| Let's Rock | |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
| Website | www.letsrock80s.com |
Let's Rock is an annual family-friendly, 1980s-oriented music festival held throughout the United Kingdom. Since the first festival in 2009, it has grown every year to become the UK's largest festival for 1980s music, expanding to 14 locations.
Let's Rock the Moor! 2009
The first Let's Rock The Moor! festival was held in Cookham Moor on 4 May 2009 and featured Nick Heyward. It closed the Cookham Festival and was attended by 1,200 guests. Other acts on the bill were Soul’d Out, Temposhark, and The Plants and Burdock. Nick Beggs from Kajagoogoo played bass guitar.
Let's Rock the Moor! 2010
The second Let's Rock The Moor! festival was held on 22 May 2010 and was attended by about 2,000 festival goers. The headlined acts were Howard Jones and Haircut 100.
Haircut 100 reunited for this performance. Other bands on the bill were High School Musical, Girls Alouder, Soul'd Out, The Quotes, The Mean Red Spiders, Burdock, RedRoots and Distant Origins.
£7,600 was raised for local charities along with £6,000 for the Wooden Spoon charity.
Let's Rock the Moor! 2011
The third Let's Rock The Moor! festival was held on 21 May 2011. The capacity of the event increased to 4,500 and was a sell-out. Headlined acts for the festival were Rick Astley, T'Pau, The Real Thing and Curiosity Killed the Cat.
Other bands on the bill were The Mean Red Spiders, The Quotes, Who Are You?, The Stereosonics, Sintax, Izzi Stone and Hustle & Cuss.
Let's Rock the Moor! 2012
The fourth Let's Rock The Moor! festival moved to a new larger site on Marsh Meadow to accommodate an increased capacity of 6,500 and was also a sell-out. The festival was held on 13 May 2012. The headlined acts were Billy Ocean, Go West, Heaven 17, Boney M, Toyah, China Crisis, Nick Heyward and Modern Romance.
Other bands on the bill were The Fortunate, Paul Child Band and The Mean Red Spiders.
The new larger site saw an increase in the amount of entertainment on offer for children which included a circus and indoor cinema, as well as rides such as bumper boats, bubbles of fun, chair-o-planes, banana boat, the big slide and dodgems. Dave Benson Phillips (CBBC/CITV/Disney Channel) performed his Guitar Music Set on the main stage. Pat Sharp introduced the evening headline acts. Up to £20,000 was expected to be raised for the festival's nominated charities, Wooden Spoon and The Link Foundation.
The festival was listed at number 3 in The Telegraph's guide to The Top 100 music festivals of April–September 2012.
Let's Rock 2013
The fifth Let's Rock The Moor! festival in Cookham took place on 18 May 2013. The line-up included Tony Hadley, Bananarama, Howard Jones, Midge Ure, Five Star, Rozalla, Imagination, Altered Images and Brother Beyond. An additional second stage called The Paddock Stage featured local bands.
A new Bristol portion was added which took place on 8 June. This venue had Billy Ocean, Altered Images, Howard Jones, ABC, Nick Heyward, Go West, the Real Thing, Modern Romance, Brother Beyond, and Owen Paul.
Let's Rock 2014
Due to the Cookham and Bristol concerts being sell-outs in the previous year, the 2014 year of the Let's Rock festival added two more locations: Leeds and Southampton. The Bristol portion also moved to a larger venue–Ashton Court Estate–and increased to a three-day event.
- Leeds
The Leeds portion took place in Temple Newsam on 21 June. The line-up was Bananarama, Kim Wilde, Howard Jones, ABC, Alexander O'Neal, Nick Heyward, the Real Thing, Nik Kershaw, Altered Images, Brother Beyond, Jaki Graham, and Then Jerico.
- Southampton
In Southampton Common on 12 July, the line-up was Billy Ocean, Bananarama, Howard Jones, ABC, Go West, Nick Heyward, the Real Thing, Heaven 17, Altered Images, Brother Beyond, Jaki Graham, and Then Jerico.
- Bristol
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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- Cookham
The line-up included Big Country, Alexander O'Neal, Then Jerico, Doctor and the Medics, T'Pau, Sonia, Nik Kershaw and ABC before Kim Wilde performed as the headline act.
Let's Rock 2015
The seventh Let's Rock festival introduced concerts in Exeter and London.
- Exeter
This festival took place in Powderham Castle on 4 July. The line-up consisted of Tom Bailey, Billy Ocean, Bananarama, ABC, Howard Jones, Midge Ure, Go West, Five Star, Nick Heyward, Nik Kershaw, the Real Thing, Altered Images, Brother Beyond, and Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers.
- London
The first Let's Rock London! was at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 27 June. Performers included Bananarama, Rick Astley, Kim Wilde, Howard Jones, Go West, Nick Heyward, Five Star, Sinitta, Sonia, Brother Beyond, and China Crisis.
- Cookham
Capacity for 2015 increased from 6,500 to 9,999 but the organisers withdrew an application to make it a two-day event.
The line-up included Samantha Fox, Bucks Fizz, The Christians, The Blow Monkeys, The Selecter, Odyssey, Betty Boo, Hot Chocolate, Roland Gift and Rick Astley before Level 42 performed as the headline act.
- Bristol
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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- Elsewhere
Other events took place in Leeds and Southampton.
Let's Rock 2016
The eighth Let's Rock festival announced a new venue: Birmingham.
- Birmingham
On 11 June at Sandwell Valley Country Park, the line-up was Holly Johnson, Kim Wilde, Jimmy Somerville, Tiffany, ABC, Go West, Midge Ure, Nik Kershaw, Five Star, Fuzzbox Altered Images, Doctor and the Medics, Brother Beyond.
- Bristol
This was once again a three-day event from Friday to Sunday.
| Saturday | Sunday |
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- Elsewhere
Other festivals took place in Cookham, Leeds, Exeter, Southampton, and London. The line-up included acts such as those above and Johnny Hates Jazz, Black Box, Aswad, Belinda Carlisle, and the Human League.
Let's Rock 2017
The ninth Let's Rock festival year added two new locations: Shrewsbury and Norwich.
- Shrewsbury
Taking place in Quarry Park on 27 May 2017, the event hosted Billy Ocean, ABC, Tony Hadley, Heaven 17, Nick Heyward, Nik Kershaw, T'Pau, the Real Thing, Clare Grogan of Altered Images, Brother Beyond, and Jaki Graham.
- Norwich
On 1 July, Earlham Park in Norwich welcomed Chesney Hawkes, Boney M, Bananarama, Howard Jones, Captain Sensible, Jaki Graham, Belinda Carlisle, Nik Kershaw, Go West, Midge Ure, and Kim Wilde.
- Cookham
Let's Rock the Moor 2017 took place in Marsh Meadow on 20 May. The event sold out of its 10,000 tickets available. The line-up included A Flock of Seagulls, Howard Jones, Living in a Box, From the Jam, The Beat, the Blockheads, Go West, and Sister Sledge before OMD performed as the headline act. A portion of the proceeds went to the Link Foundation, Child Bereavement UK, and Wooden Spoon charities.
- Bristol
This event at Ashton Court Estate was a three-day event from 2–4 June. This was the first time a line-up included a day of only 1990s-oriented music. The line-up was as listed:
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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- Leeds
Temple Newsam, on 17 June, hosted the Human League, ABC, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Technotronic, Hue and Cry, Hazel O'Connor, Imagination, Dr and the Medics, From the Jam, Roland Gift, Howard Jones, Tony Hadley, and A Flock of Seagulls.
- Exeter
Powderham Castle featured Big Country, Toyah, Jaki Graham, Tony Hadley, Howard Jones, Belinda Carlisle, Jason Donovan, Chesney Hawkes, Imagination, From the Jam, Hazel O'Connor, Katrina Leskanich (of Katrina and the Waves), and Level 42.
- Southampton
This location had the Human League, Living in a Box, Katrina, Tony Hadley, Howard Jones, Hue and Cry, Hazel O'Connor, Imagination, Belinda Carlisle, Nick Heyward, Chesney Hawkes, and Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
- London
The final date was in Clapham Common on 15 July. Performances were by the Human League, Chesney Hawkes, Boney M, Sister Sledge, Howard Jones, T'Pau, Roland Gift, Matt Bianco, Hazel O'Connor, Katrina, Jaki Graham, Toyah, and Heaven 17.
Let's Rock 2018
The tenth Let's Rock festival introduced two new venues:Sunderland and Scotland.
- Sunderland
This event took place in Herrington Park on 9 June. The line-up included Tony Hadley, Kim Wilde, ABC, Heaven 17, Midge Ure, Go West, Nick Heyward, Five Star, Nik Kershaw, the Real Thing, Altered Images, and Modern Romance.
- Scotland
In Dalkeith Country Park on 23 June, performers included Billy Ocean, Marc Almond, Tony Hadley, ABC, Nick Heyward, Heaven 17, Midge Ure, Go West, Nik Kershaw, Katrina, Altered Images, ABC, Annabella Lwin, Fuzzbox, Go West, Hazell Dean, Katrina, Nick Heyward, Peter Coyle, Black Lace, Brother Beyond, and Modern Romance.
- Elsewhere
Other performances took place in Cookham, London, Leeds, Southampton, Exeter, Bristol, Shrewsbury, and Norwich. Along with those listed above, performers also included Wendy James, Clare Grogan, Heather Small, Kim Appleby, Tom Bailey, and Adam Ant.
Let's Rock 2019
For the 10th anniversary, the Let's Rock festival introduced four new locations: Liverpool, Wales, Essex, and Belfast.
- Liverpool
The event took place at Croxteth Hall on 27 July. The line-up consisted of the Human League, Tony Hadley, Marc Almond, Midge Ure, Go West, Nick Heyward, Five Star, Nik Kershaw, Roland Gift, T’Pau, the Real Thing, China Crisis, Altered Images, Belouis Some and Sonia.
- Wales
In Tredegar Park, the line-up was Billy Ocean, Tony Hadley, Go West, Midge Ure, Jason Donovan, Nik Kershaw, Nick Heyward, Toyah, From The Jam, Heaven 17, Altered Images, the Real Thing, Brother Beyond, Belouis Some, Owen Paul, Jennie "Belle Star" Matthias, Musical Youth, Westworld, and Black Lace. It took place on 1 June.
- Essex
On 7 September, Hylands Estate will host Status Quo, Jimmy Somerville, Tony Hadley, Go West, Midge Ure, Nick Heyward, Nik Kershaw, Heaven 17, the Real Thing, Betty Boo, China Crisis, Sonia, Brother Beyond, Belouis Some, Jennie "Belle Star" Matthias, Owen Paul, Westworld, Black Lace and Musical Youth.
- Belfast
Located at the Boucher Playing Fields on 3 August, the performers held were Billy Ocean, Tony Hadley, Marc Almond, Tom Bailey, Midge Ure, Go West, Nick Heyward, Nik Kershaw, Heaven 17, Cutting Crew, Altered Images, Sonia, Brother Beyond, Owen Paul, Belouis Some, Jennie "Belle Star" Matthias, Owen Paul, Westworld, Black Lace and Musical Youth.
- Elsewhere
Other events will take place in Cookham, Norwich, Sunderland, Scotland, Leeds, Exeter, Southampton, and Shrewsbury. Acts included those listed above with Shalamar, Belinda Carlisle, Hot Chocolate, Snap!, Chesney Hawkes, Kim Wilde, Kim Appleby, Thomas Dolby, Limahl, Hugh Cornwell, Jaki Graham, Captain Sensible, and Johnny Hates Jazz.
References
- "Nick Heyward will headline Let's Rock The Moor". Music-News.com. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- "Let's Rock The Moor: Rolf Harris and Nick Heyward - Sun Arise, Cookham Festival 4 May 2009 - Video YouTube". Nme.com. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- REVIEW: Bands rocked the Moor in Cookham | News in Cookham | Get The Latest Maidenhead Advertiser News Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- "Rock the Moor in Cookham (From Bucks Free Press)". Archive.today. 20 April 2013. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- "We Rocked the Moor!". Cookham News. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- "We Rocked the Moor Cheque Presentation". Cookham.com. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- PHOTO GALLERY: Let's Rock The Moor! 2011 | News in Cookham | Get The Latest Maidenhead Advertiser News Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- "Record 6,000 crowd pack out Cookham rock festival". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Let's Rock the Moor could raise £20k for charities | News in Cookham | Get The Latest Maidenhead Advertiser News Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- "Let's Rock The Moor Festival Gallery". Peter-cox.org. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Let's Rock the Moor - Cookham Archived 21 April 2013 at archive.today
- "Find out more about the Children's Charity of Rugby, Wooden Spoon". Woodenspoon.com. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Sun shines for Let's Rock the Moor! in Cookham | News in Maidenhead | Get The Latest Maidenhead Advertiser News Archived 17 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Green, Thomas H. (9 April 2012). "Top 100 music festivals: April - September 2012". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- "Tony Hadley and Midge Ure set to Rock the Moor | Latest-News | Bands-and-Music | Entertainment | SloughExpress". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- "Spandau Ballet – News". Spandauballet.com. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ "Let's Rock! Announce Line-Up and New 80s Events for Summer 2014". Classic Pop. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- Youlden, Mary (6 October 2014). "Let's Rock Exeter line-up announced". Exeter Daily. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- "Magic Presents Let's Rock London! The Ultimate 80s Festival". Classic Pop. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- No two-day Let's Rock The Moor but its capacity could still be increased to 9,999 festival goers Archived 6 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- In pictures: Let's Rock the Moor 2015 Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- "Let's Rock the Moor - Cookham Festival". Cookham.com. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- "Let's Rock Festival 2016: Line up announced for Birmingham". Classic Pop. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- Let's Rock the Moor releases Line up for May 2016 Archived 25 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Growcott, Mat (28 May 2017). "First ever Let's Rock Shrewsbury gets Gold reception from 80s fans". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- "Let's Rock Shrewsbury 2017". eFestivals. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- "Let's Rock Norwich! The Retro Festival comes to Earlham Park in 2017". Norwich City Council. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Henry (15 March 2017). "Let's Rock! The Retro Festival hits the UK in summer 2017". Skiddle. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- Knights, Emma (24 June 2017). "Let's Rock Norwich! 2017: 15,000 people set to head to city park today for 1980s music festival". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ "PICTURE SPECIAL: Let's Rock the Moor 2017". Maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- "First Let's Rock the Moor! 2017 acts announced". Maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- "Headline act announced for Let's Rock the Moor! 2017". Maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- "FIRST EVER 90S LINEUP FOR LET'S ROCK BRISTOL". Bristol 24/7. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
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- "Let's Rock Leeds! The retro festival returns Saturday 17th June 2017". VisitLeeds. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- "Let's Rock Exeter 2017". eFestivals. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- "Let's Rock Southampton 2017". eFestivals. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- "Sparkling Retro Line-Up For July's Let's Rock London One Day Festival". Music Republic Magazine. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- Duke, Simon (20 October 2017). "Sunderland set to play host to huge retro music festival Let's Rock The North East". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- Hinds, Alice (29 November 2017). "Let's Rock Scotland festival is bringing back the 80s – here's everything you need to know about the 2018 event". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- "LET'S ROCK LIVERPOOL IS BRINGING SOME OF THE BIGGEST 80'S ACTS TO CROXTETH PARK IN 2019". The Guide Liverpool. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- Reid, Lucinda (5 October 2018). "Let's Rock Wales reveals its incredible 80s line-up and here's how you could win VIP tickets". WalesOnline. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
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