STOKE 2008 REVIEWS

 

The Sentinel DSeptember 2008

Fern BasnettI

IT'S 25 years since Signal radio started broadcasting in North Staffordshire and Cheshire. To mark the event, three of the top musicians of the era performed last night at Trentham Gardens, bringing a mix of sounds and styles from the 1980s.

Technical problems before the concert left people queuing for up to two hours and resulted in schedule delays....

...The final headline act was the Human League, which personally I enjoyed the most. The group's crisp, electro pop style has stood the test of time with vocalist Phil Oakley's deep voice sounding clear, strong and simply wonderful! The set commenced with a powerful delivery of "Lebanon", instantly energising the crowd. Hits that followed included "Mirror Man" "Tell me When" and "Fascination". It may have been a quarter of a century since they first found fame but band members still looked as well as sounded enviably cool! Again the set seemed short, but the League responded to demands for an encore, leaving the audience together in "Electric Dreams".

It must be said that on this special night, the audience were also stars, and remained determined to have a great time through long delays, technical hitches and shortened performances.