BACK TO THE FUTURE

Anyone passing casually by Bitec Bang Na Friday night could be forgiven for thinking they’d suddenly stepped into a time warp as baby boomers in their late 30s and 40s emerged from modern cars, their faces covered in colourful make-up and their bodies squeezed into glossy tight dresses.

They were there to relive the New Romanticism of the ’80s and here in Bangkok to help them were such blasts from the past Johnny Hates Jazz, Belinda Carlisle, the Village People, Tony Hadley and Rick Astley. 

Inside, an oversized disco ball hung from the centre of the concert hall – the only real reminder of the ’80s’ flamboyant visuals – about which Astley was quick to quip that it had come from his grandma’s wedding party.

Johnny Hates Jazz was first to take the stage, performing such hits as “I Don’t Want to be a Hero” and “Shattered Dreams”. The crowd obligingly screamed but couldn’t help but notice that the band no longer possesses the sophisticated style that was synonymous with the early days of MTV. Gone was the retro slicked-back hair; frontman Clark Datchler’s locks were longer and flopping around his ears making him look, well, old.

Belinda Carlisle, the former lead vocalist of the Go-Go’s, performed her hits, among them “Circle in the Sand” and told the audience she’d known it would be hit the moment she heard it in the elevator. She quickly wrapped her short set with “Heaven is a Place on Earth” before dashing off to the airport to catch a flight back to the US.

While obviously in their 50s, the Village People, who took the stage in their familiar Native American, Navy and the blue-collar worker costumes, performed a lively set to a soundtrack of pre-recorded disco music, getting the audience up and dancing in the aisles and religiously following the band’s instructions for the famous hand gestures of “YMCA”.

While the first half of the show was short on surprises, the audience had fun sipping their beers and taking photos on their phones and just like teens, could be spotted immediately uploading them to social media.

The most exciting performance of the night came in the second half from Tony Hadley, former Spandau Ballet frontman. Instead of sticking to his band’s golden oldies, Hadley covered songs of other artists, opening his set with the Killers’ “Somebody Told Me”. He also sang Duran Duran’s “Rio”, an interesting choice given that Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet were arch rivals during the ’80s.

Hadley was also a visual treat; he’s aged handsomely and showed he’s lost nothing of his powerful vocals through “Through the Barricades” and “Gold”.

Rick Astley also gave fans what they’d come for with a tight set and wonderfully easy manner. Looking coolly sophisticated in suit, dress shirt and tie, he showed off his vocal range with “Together Forever” and “Cry for Help” and served up a great cover of the Temptations’ “Ain’t too Proud to Beg”

Complaining about the intense heat inside the hall, Astley teasingly insisted that he wouldn’t take off his jacket as the audience suggested, “I’m 47. I’m not Justin Bieber,” he laughed.

He concluded the night with “Never Gonna Give You Up” with Tony Hadley playing the tambourine in the background.

The middle-aged audience left Bitec with a smile on their faces, comforted by the knowledge that while they are older, the song remains the same.