When I first got the enquiry from Kelly about her wedding way back in 2017, I KNEW it was going to be a brilliant party!
Why?
Her original enquiry all that time ago mentioned that the evening reception was to be very much 80s based, both musically and that she was interested in me using the 80s Roadshow.
The venue was to be Smeetham Hall Farm near Sudbury, a gorgeous barn in the middle of Suffolk which I’d not previously had the pleasure of working in (and I really hope to be going back again in the future!).
As someone who started out in this rollercoaster of a career in 1988, the 80s are very much in my blood. It’s music I’ll never tire of no matter how many times I take the Roadshow out on the road.
Move forward to a couple of weeks ago and after many, many emails between us, Kelly sent over a playlist of songs she’d like to hear during the evening. It wasn’t a strict list (I had a LOT of freedom on what was played), but WOW! I honestly couldn’t have chosen much better myself.
So, to last Saturday evening and the reception.
I was asked for an early setup for the evening so that I could be ready during the room turnaround after the wedding breakfast. With the Retro show, it’s always nice to have more time to set up as the equipment is heavy to lug around, especially in somewhere like a barn where access isn’t always easy.
The moment I switched the lighting on, the guests and the venue staff started commenting on how it brought back memories.
And I have to admit, set up at the end of a very old barn with exposed beams and fairy lights, it looked impressive.
The Retro show isn’t to everyone’s taste. After all, it’s how a lot of people remember their school discos from the past. For some though, it’s exactly what they want and this was the case for Kelly and Glenn.
The first dance overran slightly (it happens and I certainly won’t hold you to the exact time of your first dance unless that’s what you want), and then it was time to party.
Kelly and Glenns’ guests going them on the dance floor with music totally from the ’80s, and with guest requests aplenty ensured it stayed this way until the last song of the evening which sadly came around far too quickly.
In fact, Kelly and Glenn were so happy with what I did, they left me a 5* review on Trustpilot, which for a small business like me is a really big deal 🙂
So, some photos then...
And so to the playlist...
To my mind (and indeed that of Kelly, Glenn and their guests), this was an AWESOME night of 80s music and I could have played on for a lot longer than the venue’s license allows. The 1980’s music isn’t to everyone’s taste, but for this particular wedding, it worked an absolute treat.
- Carpenters – We´ve only just begun (First dance)
- Starship – We Built This City
- Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen
- Kenny loggins – Footloose
- A-ha – Take On Me
- Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up
- Rick Astley – Together Forever
- The Human League – Don`t you Want Me
- Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
- Wham – Club Tropicana
- Huey Lewis and the News – The Power of Love
- Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This
- Freddie Mercury – Living on my own
- Soft Cell – Tainted Love
- Duran Duran – Rio
- Madness – One Step Beyond
- Madness – Baggy trousers
- The B-52’s – Love Shack
- Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
- Whitney Houston – How Will I Know?
- Dolly Parton – 9 To 5
- Cher – Shoop Shoop Song
- Queen – Crazy Little Thing Called Love
- Ike and Tina Turner – Proud Mary
- Wham – Wake me up before you go go
- Bryan Adams – Summer of ´69
- Bon Jovi – Livin On a Prayer
- Cher; Meat Loaf – Dead Ringer for Love
- UB40 – Kingston Town
- Toto – Africa
- Culture Club – Karma Chameleon
- Phil Collins – You Can’t Hurry Love
- The Jam – Town Called Malice
- Phil Collins & Philip Bailey – Easy Lover
- Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band – Thunder Road
- Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now
- Lionel Richie – Dancing On The Ceiling
- Roy Orbison – I Drove All Night
- Go West – We Close Our Eyes
- Madness – House Of Fun
- Deniece Williams – Let’s Hear It For The Boy
- The Bangles – Manic Monday
- J Geils Band – Centrefold
- Tiffany – I Think Were Alone Now
- The Communards – Don’t Leave Me This Way
- Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough
- Michael Jackson – Beat It
- Paul Simon – Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
- Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time of my Life
