I feel so at home in Henley (and Florida), says Heyward

EIGHTIES pop star Nick Heyward is delighted to once again be performing at Rewind South.

Now in its 12th year, the retro festival will take place at Temple Island Meadows in Remenham, a short walk from his home in
Henley.

“I wonder if I could get there by boat this time,” jokes Nick.

“Rewind, whenever they ask me, I just do it, it’s that simple. It’s like, ‘Oh great, I’m playing a local gig’. It’s just really enjoyable, you know? It’s just so well organised — dare I say it, it is a fantastic day.”

Nick, 62, and his second wife Sara divide their time between Henley and Tampa in Florida. The couple were married after the coronavirus pandemic, having been engaged for 10 years.

He says: “Covid shifted lots of things, perspective mainly, and it was a time when people were communicating more, you know, ‘It’s now or never’.

“That’s one of the things that I love about Henley, how it helps out and it has a great safety net. It’s all about community and humanity and it’s wonderful to celebrate that.

“I embrace every area I’m in. We’re in Henley for summer with all the nooks and crannies that are my suntraps. I love it. From Singer’s Wharf, all the way to Temple Island, where the gig is, it’s a lovely thing. I used to go down to Temple Island because it was quiet and just sit for hours sometimes, writing songs or poems or just falling asleep.”

Tampa, by comparison, is more colourful.

“It has an eclectic mix of cultures from Spain, Greece, Italy, India and Pakistan,” says Nick. “Cigar City is a Cuban area and if I get my hair cut in America I go there. The stories you hear from the Cuban guy that cuts my hair about how it used to be, in his day, growing up…”

Nick was born in Kent and formed Haircut 100 with friends Les Nemes and Graham Jones in 1980 and they hit the big time.

The band had four singles which reached the top 10, Favourite Shirts, Love Plus One, Nobody’s Fool and Fantastic Day.

Nick then went solo and had top 20 hits with Whistle Down the Wind, Take That Situation and Blue Hat for a Blue Day.

He moved to Henley at the end of the Nineties. He says: “My ex-wife met somebody and moved to Marlow and I came to visit for the day because we’ve got two children together.

“Oliver went to Gillotts and so did Katie and I just thought, ‘I’ve got to live close to Marlow without being in Marlow’. So I came to Henley and I went to the Angel on the Bridge and then I walked down to get an ice-cream and I saw River Terrace.

“There was a little balcony flat and I just thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s where I want to live — what a beautiful place’.

“So I had the ice cream and went round the corner to the first estate agent and it was Ballards.

“I walked in and met a man called Tim, lovely chap, and I said, ‘Have you got any places to...?’

“He said, ‘Are you that chap from that band?’ and I said, ‘Yes’.

“He said, ‘Oh, great’ and he started showing me places with helipads and swimming pools and I said, ‘Have you got anything cheaper? In fact, what’s your cheapest rental?’

“He said, ‘Well, we have got somewhere around the corner that has just come on the market’. I think it belonged to the guy who used to run the Angel on the Bridge.

“Anyway, we walked round the corner and he said, ‘It’s that flat up there with the balcony’, so I took it. I rented it and then went round to the local bric-a-brac shops to decorate it because it was still 1972 inside.”

Nick says he could write a book about all the colourful characters in Henley he has come across over the years.

“Andy Mallen doesn’t live in Henley anymore but he always used to be here. He would chat to everyone and I really admired that.

“There’s also a walking man that I see. He looks like he is walking from Marlow to Henley every day. He’s always friendly.

“There was also a guy that used to perch like a bird. I used to call him ‘Bird Man’. He had long cigarettes and was into Gary Numan and Gracie Fields.

“I know that because there used to be a shop called The World of Music near a wine bar, next to Café Rouge.

“That was when you listened to records playing. Bird Man was in the shop and he said, ‘Have you got any Gracie Fields?’ and I just thought, ‘Wow, I did not expect that’. That’s just how surprising Henley is.

“I used to live in Badgemore Grange, next to George Harrison’s sort of hedgerow near the entrance to Friar Park.

“That’s where I used to make music and listen to birdsong and capture the notes and note down what they were and they were all different keys. The birds were all singing their own Bach.”

Nick also spent some time living in Stoke Row, where he has played at the Crooked Billet several times. He says: “I love it there, it’s an absolutely brilliant place. Paul [Clerehugh, proprietor] is lovely and it’s probably the most perfect gig that you can do.

“We used to live right next to it, so I used to hear all the bands but it was just far enough away for it to not keep you up.

“This year I’ve been running a studio in Shiplake. I started to write with Rebecca Poole, alias Purdy, and I was using Sam Brown’s brother Pete’s studio, when I thought, actually, having my own studio would probably be more beneficial and I can spend more time in it. I absolutely love it.”

• Rewind South takes place at Temple Island Meadows in Remenham from Friday to Sunday, August 18 to August 20. For more information, visit south.rewindfestival.com