Ellis Mather presents Newark Festival 2020 Announced!

Introducing the biggest 80s revival festival line-up to hit Newark in the summer.

LHG Events, organisers of the annual Newark Festival, are thrilled to announce that Saturday will next year feature Discover the 80s – an unforgettable evening of fun and some of the best music from the much-loved decade. The 2020 line-up will see the legendary Marc Almond take to the stage along with Heather Small, Hue & Cry, China Crisis and Altered Images in what promises to bring a true celebration of the 80s to Riverside Park. It is retro revival at its finest!

So, you just read that and went who? Let us give you a taster, you will be singing instantly!

There we go see, now you are ready to party!

The 2020 edition of Newark Festival see Ellis Mather Group return as its naming rights partner, with the Tuxford based e-commerce and magnet specialists joining long standing festival partners Newark Town Council, Liz Hobbs Group, and local businesses Barcode Warehouse, Farndon Boathouse, Duncan Toplis, Inizio, Team KnowHow and Future Prospects.

Marc Almond is an internationally acclaimed music artist who has sold over 30 million records worldwide and is an icon and influence to a generation of musicians. The former founder of ‘electro duo’ Soft Cell alongside David Bell, who achieved international acclaim with four albums and the hugely successful single Tainted Love, which broke all records as the track that remained the longest in US Billboard Top 100 and a Brit Award for ‘Best Single of the Year’. Soft Cell parted amicably in 1984 to pursue solo projects, after which Marc recorded the innovative and influential double album Torment and Toreros with Marc and the Mambas which propelled him to a unique musical place that had one foot in mainstream and the other in the underground. A diverse and hugely successful solo career has followed, followed with over a dozen musical albums and a second number one single; Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart in 1989 with 60s legend Gene Pitney. As well as a huge body of recordings, Marc has also had two best- selling autobiographies, Tainted Life and In Search of The Pleasure Palace, as well as three books of verse; The Angel of Death in the Adonis Lounge, A Beautiful Twisted Night and The End of New York. Marc’s latest solo album; The Velvet Trail, was released in March 2015 and was closely followed by a sell-out European live tour. November 2016 saw the release of Trials of Eyeliner, Marc’s much anticipated box set anthology followed by Hits and Pieces in March 2017 to celebrate his Greatest Hits. Shortly following this Top 10 album was a UK sold out tour.

Heather Small has enjoyed huge acclaim both as the former lead singer of M People and in a solo capacity as one of the seminal British voices of the time, not to mention a number of TV appearances with her infectious personality and sense of humour earning her place in the heart of the public. As part of M People, hits such as Moving On Up, One Night In Heaven and Search For The Hero and albums like Elegant Slumming, Bizarre Fruit and Fresco achieved massive worldwide success, , with the band winning the ‘Best British Dance Act Award’ at the Brits in 1994 and 1995, as well as the Mercury Music Prize for Elegant Slumming. Heather has since had great successes with two solo albums, with the title track of her Proud album going on to become the soundtrack to a whole host of very special events including London's successful 2012 Olympic bid, the 60th anniversary of VE Day in Trafalgar Square, the launch of Queen Mary 2, England's victory at the Rugby World Cup celebrations, and the official ceremony marking the handover of the Olympic Games from Beijing to London. 2009 saw Heather take to the road with her band completing two highly successful UK tours, performing at over 30 venues nationwide to sell-out crowds. In the Autumn, Heather teamed up with singing sensations Anastacia and Lulu for the critically acclaimed 'Here Come The Girls' – an unforgettable night of feel-good party music and dance - touring arenas across the UK and Ireland during 2010.

Hue & Cry are brothers Patrick and Gregory Kane who formed Hue and Cry in 1983 with the duo making a huge impact with albums Seduced and Abandoned and Remote as well as massive hit singles such as Looking For Linda and Labour of Love. Albums like Stars Crash Down and Jazz Not Jazz ensured Hue and Cry’s continued triumph in the 1990s, whilst the release of the hugely applauded Open Soul in 2008 brought them firmly back into the limelight. 2017 saw the band release their twelfth studio album, Pocketful Of Stones to rave reviews from the press. The brothers have continued their stellar form into 2019, selling out their ‘Summer Nights at the Bandstand’ show at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Bandstand within 48 hours, as well as playing live shows up and down the country. The band are currently in the studio working on a brand-new album. Hue and Cry have sold in excess of two million records and tens of thousands of concert tickets worldwide, as well as performing alongside some of the greatest artists in music history, appearing with U2, James Brown, Madonna, Al Green and Van Morrison to name but a few. The duo was recognised by their peers when they were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Scottish Music Awards.

China Crisis, emerged in 1981 from their native Kirkby, Merseyside as the song writing duo of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon, who over the years have been accompanied by a gifted and creative but ever-mutable group of musicians both on stage and in their recordings. They are renowned for not just stretching the creative limits of their time but incorporating horns, strings, woodwinds, pedal steel; the result is an explosive combination of distinctive sounds that present elements of jazz, reggae, country and their own impressive melodies and harmonies. The clearly identifiable China Crisis sound stood and continues to stand out from the crowd and has seen them garner an impressive eleven UK Top 50 singles and three UK Top 40 albums, as well as commercial success in Western Europe, Australia and the Americas. 2018 saw them celebrate their 35th anniversary of the esteemed album Working with Fire and Steel. The band continue to undertake extensive touring, selling out China Crisis shows throughout the UK as well as in the US, Canada, Holland, the Philippines and elsewhere.

Altered Images were an early 1980s Scottish new wav/post punk band. Fronted by singer Clare Grogan, the band branched into mainstream pop music, having six UK Top 40 singles and three Top 30 albums between 1981 and 1983.Their hits included Happy Birthday, I Could be Happy, See Those Eyes and Don’t Talk to Me About Love. After the break-up of the band for them to each pursue individual interests, Clare – who had previously to Altered Images appeared in the 1981 film Gregory’s Girl – went on to become a film and television actress. Appearances included Red Dwarf, Eastenders, Father Ted and Skins as well as a host of TV presenting, and in recent years a children’s novelist.

Liz Doogan-Hobbs MBE, CEO of LHG Events said “Festival-goers, get ready for our finest year yet, with a new date and an incredible line-up of artists who will be brining retro fever to Newark! We’re thrilled to present yet another year of music and entertainment and are sure that revellers will welcome the new August date at the height of the summer. We have some amazing acts and urge everyone to get into the spirit of the decade and dress up for the occasion. Early Bird tickets are on sale now so be sure to buy yours whilst they are on this offer and stay tuned of news coming soon for the Friday line-up. Bring on the sunshine, and the neon (!), and let’s have a party!”

Dennis Jones, Leader of Newark Town Council said “I am very pleased with the line-up for next year’s Festival. They are all well known, high quality acts and I hope that the local community will once again give its full support. We are working to produce a fantastic weekend of music and entertainments and details of a bigger and better, free, Brass Explosion event on the August Bank Holiday Sunday will be announced shortly.”

Matthew Ellis-Mather, Managing Director of Ellis Mather Group said “Newark and the local community is extremely important to us and we a thrilled to have Mark Almond, Heather Small, Hue and Cry, China Crisis and Altered Images performing on what will be a fantastic 80’s themed Saturday night. We look forward to welcoming everyone to what will be another amazing and memorable festival.”

Early Bird Tickets for Ellis Mather presents Newark Festival, which takes place at Riverside Park, Newark on 28 and 29 August 2020, including Discover the 80s with Marc Almond, Heather Small, Hue & Cry, China Crisis and Altered Images goes on sale on Friday 22 November from www.newarkfestival.co.uk

Details and line-up for Friday 28 August will be announced shortly.