Review – Here and Now Tour, Cardiff International Arena

Aah, the 1980s. It was a great decade, when male singers had bigger hair than the girls – who all wore ra-ra skirts and pixie boots – and acts like Go West and Heaven 17 ruled the charts.

You could almost taste the nostalgia when those groups, plus T’Pau’s Carol Decker, Nick Heyward, Ben of Curiosity Killed The Cat, Kim Wilde and Paul Young took to the stage. While the hairstyles might be shorter and thinner than they were, and the igures might be slightly fuller, there was no mistaking the stars’ sheer joy of performing.

To the young fans who buy music today, the 1980s might seems like ancient history. But for the 30 and 40-somethings that comprised most of the audience, this was a chance to dance again to Kids in America and Fantastic Day.

Backed by a well-honed band, the singers bounded arnd as if this was their first time in public. And although Paul Young’s voice might not have the power it once did, he provided a great finale, as the whole ensemble trouped out to join him and the audience for Every Time You Go Away.