People still make fun of my old mullet, says Eighties presenter

DJ Pat Sharp will once again be presenting at Rewind South.

“I’m the compère and host, so I tell people who’s coming up,” he says. “I’ll have a few minutes’ banter with them and then the band takes over.”

A few years ago, he ended up hosting on the main stage at the retro festival.

Pat recalls: “They couldn’t get Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five couldn’t make it from America because of covid restrictions or some sort of visa problem, so I ended up playing an actual DJ set, which was fun.” The 61-year-old from Bushey started out as a presenter on BBC Radio 1 and went on to present ITV anarchic children’s show Fun House.

He no longer sports his trademark mullet hairstyle but still gets stick for it.

“I did a gig at Butlin’s recently and there were people dressed as me with masks of me, wearing mullet hairdos. Some of them had red and yellow pom-poms with Fun House T-shirts.

“It’s slightly scary in an Alan Partridge way but it’s a bit of an accolade. It’s nothing but kindness and nice vibes.” He enjoys Rewind, saying: “There’s a big demand for nostalgia. I see a lot of the acts on the circuit, especially ABC and Nik Kershaw.

“I was playing ABC and The
Look of Love on my first radio
show in 1982. It’s a long-lasting relationship.”

• 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