Fellow performers in my record collection

MARTIN Fry of Eighties band ABC has had a connection with Rewind South from day one.

The singer of the synth-pop group says: “Rewind Festival started in August 2009 and I was there on the opening day, with David Heartfield and the band.

“He stole some of my musicians to put in the house band.

“I play a lot of festivals all these years on, from here to Pasadena, but there’s something magical about driving over the hill and seeing that valley, in Henley, by the Thames. You never quite know what’s going to happen.”

Originating from Sheffield, ABC comprised Martin with Mark White (guitar and keyboards), Stephen Singleton (saxophone) and David Palmer (drums). They had hits throughout the Eighties, including The Look of Love and Poison Arrow, from their 1982 album The Lexicon of Love, and When Smokey Sings.

Now 67, Martin and his wife, Julie, who have twins, son and daughter Nancy and Louis, 34, split their time between Barbados, the UK and touring.

“We got a place [in Barbados] just pre covid,” says Martin.

“It was really weird, we had a holiday booked, went there and everything shut down obviously. We staked out there with my family and grew to love the island.

“A lot has changed since then of course but it was wild. It’s only a small island so they could not afford to get it wrong in that period — strange times anyway for everybody.

“It’s a wonderful place to come, a really friendly place. I spend a lot of time travelling all over the world but it is a nice base, a nice hub to hang out and watch the flying fish swim across the ocean.”

Martin is looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces.

“I’ve played Henley Rewind many times as a member of the Eighties crew and it’s always a fantastic experience with a lot of laughs, wonderful times, so I am thoroughly looking forward to it.

“I’ve not seen Marc Almond and Dave Ball for a long time. We used to all live together in the same hotel back in the early Eighties, the Columbia Hotel.

“Kid Creole and the Coconuts I was on tour with so it’s kind of like a reunion.

“I’ll be there with Soft Cell, Kid Creole, Thompson Twins, Boyzlife, who I met recently, and — mad — Sugarhill Gang, I bought those records all those years ago. I love all the records from the early Eighties, coming out of New York, so I’m a fan.

“Junior Giscombe, Mama Used To Say, these are all in my record collection, these tunes.

“Backstage is wonderful, it’s like a reunion, so it’s wonderful to run into guys like Tony Hadley and Midge Ure and Go West.

“Through the years, there’s been some high jinks. I remember one year, one of the American bands burnt down one of the coaches I think at the back, the musical dressing rooms, I never knew what was going on in there.

“I always think of Steve Strange, god bless him, he passed away but Steve Strange used to come down to the show, we used to hang with him in the trailers. It was always wonderful to hang with Steve, because he’d always be there, even if he wasn’t playing.”

The singer is always appreciative of the efforts put in by the Rewind crowd.

“I’ll be there in the spotlight singing and the great thing about Rewind is you hit that stage guns blazing and hit ’em with the hits.

“I love looking out into the audience and seeing that concise compression of every look from the flamboyant Eighties. A lot of people have Madonna’s Desperately Seeking Susan look, but then they have it fluorescent for the rave culture of ’89. It’s phenomenal.

“There’s a lot of Freddy Mercurys out there and a lot of Michael Jacksons usually and I love counting them as I’m singing my songs.

“There’s a genuine connection between all of the acts and the audience. It’s kind of like, we’ve come this far, it’s a celebration of life.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to get on stage in front of a crowd and let them all climb into your time machine. I just live for that moment at the end of the set where everybody’s got their hands in the air, big smiles, having a great time – that’s priceless in 2025.

“Rewind has to be special. There’s a few artists that have fallen at the hurdle and not put the best set in ever but generally I’d say 90 per cent of the acts are phenomenal. Some you see them and they’re blinking in the headlights, but I’m ready to see that crowd and have some fun.”

According to Martin, there has always been just enough healthy competition to keep everyone at the top of their game. “There was no Blur versus Oasis. Even with a band from Sheffield, Spands were kind of Islington way and the Durans were from Birmingham. But back then there were all these incredible bands coming through, like Wham! and the Eurythmics, Culture Club, every week there would be something phenomenal hitting the charts, some band hitting the charts with a look, the whole thing.

“It was fiercely competitive, even in Sheffield, there was the Human League, Heaven 17 and Def Leppard and ABC.

“I have to say, when you’re young, everybody’s chasing that number 1 spot and you think, well, only one act can be number 1.

“But believe me, now, it’s kind of wonderful to meet Tony Hadley and Belinda Carlisle and Marc Almond and fellow singers who are still really good live on stage. Midge Ure, it’s a great feeling to hook up with these guys.

“There’s a tiny little bit of competition just to milk the applause. That’s my take on it anyway. With ABC, I started way back when in the early Eighties, but I’ve been very fortunate to keep playing live through the years and I’ve finally got my own orchestra, the Lexicon of Love Orchestra.

“I go and play a tour around the UK in the last week of October and into November we’re playing with the full orchestra with the band and everything else. Sixteen years ago we got together with Anne Dudley.

“There’s our album called The Lexicon of Love, which people love to this day so that’s become public property, so we go and play that in its entirety with Anne conducting.

“It took a few years to get the parts together for the orchestra because everybody, from the guy with the little triangle to the violins to the violas to the kettle drum, has to have parts.

“It has been wonderful evolving that show through the years and we’re back by popular demand.

“But it’s a great privilege to stand on that Rewind stage and see the crowd, everybody dresses up for Rewind, it’s fantastic.”

l ABC play Rewind South tomorrow (Saturday). For more information, visit south.rewindfestival.com or abcmartinfry.com