Chilfest

We may not have got very far in the Euro championships, but the Chilfest crowd took a leaf from the Icelandic football fans to show their support of 80s music.

As they called for an encore from both the Human League and UB40, the festival-goers mimicked the now famous Icelandic thunderclap chant in raucous appreciation of the popular bands.

In fact there was a huge amount of team spirit throughout the entire festival as the crowd were able to enjoy a host of sporting anthems from Tony Hadley's Gold to Heather Small singing the momentous Proud.

There was even a blast of the old wartime British spirit as Rockney legends Chas and Dave launched into a medley of old-time songs like We're Gonna Hang Out The Washing On The Siegfried Line and Roll Out The Barrel.

And of course, their classics like Rabbit, Ain't No Pleasing You and London Girl got the crowd linking arms, twirling and jumping while Snooker Loopy re-ignited the 80s fascination with snooker as the crowd chanted every single line.

It's no real surprise that this year's annual Chilfest in Tring, Hertfordshire, yet again proved a winner with lovers of 80s music. Now in its 4th year, the festival was certainly not slow off the blocks in getting the crowd off their feet.

Friday night saw the festival open with the heartwarming sunshine songs of Aswad, bringing a smile to everyone's faces with hits like Don't Turn Around and Shine. Their infectious brand of reggae sounded perfect on the sunny summer evening.

M-People's Heather Small certainly made her family Proud when she next took to the stage, with her 74-year-old mum in the front row dancing throughout. With a host of songs like Search For a Hero, Moving on Up and One Night in Heaven, the stunning singer took the festival on a tour of her M People and solo career.

The incredible UB40 ended the night on a high note with a nostalgic line-up of their unforgettable hits, even inspiring one romantic lad to propose to his girlfriend during the poignant Kingston Town.

Thanks to Ali Campbell reuniting with Mickey and Astro, we were treated to Astro's legendary rap in Red Red Wine, alongside their many other classics including Many Rivers To Cross, Rat in The Kitchen, and Food for Thought.

Saturday started off slowly with people still queuing to get into the festival as Nathan Moore took to the stage. Unperturbed by the absent standing crowds, Nathan soon got the early birds dancing with his exuberant banter and classics like The Harder I Try.

He was swiftly followed by Chilfest's very own Lady in Red, aka Clare Grogan of Altered Images, who performed hits like Happy Birthday and I Could Be Happy, whilst proclaiming to the crowd that she would usually be shopping at Waitrose!

The Christians brought their Liverpudian wit to the stage next, with their soulful hits like Harvest for The World and Ideal World making a real mark on the festival.

80s synth legend Nik Kershaw and New Romantic Tony Hadley were unsurprisingly huge hits as the evening drew in. Nik's recognisable guitar-driven hits like Wouldn't It Be Good and Don Quixote were both crowd-favourites, as was a cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity who he named as one of his idols.

Nik's final song I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me was unfortunately cut short as the amps blew the sound, and left the crowd singing the chorus as he departed the stage.

Tony Hadley followed with a medley of Spandau Ballet hits that were true gold. The crowd went wild as he performed hit after hit, including Through The Barricades, True and the anthemic Gold.

Top of the bill were The Human League whose synth-fuelled 80s mega hits accelerated the festival into top gear. Wearing a long cloak, lead singer Phil Oakey had an imposing presence on the stage as the band performed classics like Don't You Want Me, Electric Dreams and Mirror Man.

There's no doubting that their songs have stood the test of time, and as the fans adopted the icelandic chant to bring the band back on stage for an encore, it was proof that this 80s band are well and truly in the Premier League!