Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Originally published by L.S. Media. September 19th 2009.

Apart from the odd appearance on VH1’s Band’s Re-united, Kajagoogoo have not been seen on stage together for over 25 years. Thankfully for lovers of the 80’s pop genre they have finally answered the calls of the fans and reformed to tour and produce some new songs that should ignite further interest in one of the best performers of their time.

With vocalist Limahl back at centre stage and looking as well as he has in years and accompanied by the other four original members, the excellent Nick Beggs on bass, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on the keyboards and Jez Strode on drums the band looked relaxed in each others company and happy to be playing again in front of an appreciative crowd.

The five piece opened the night with the instrumental Kajagoogoo and Interview Rooms, which appeared on C.D. reissue of the debut album White Feathers.

With Limahl only having appeared on the first album the spot light was shifted momentarily to Nick to provide vocals on songs from the bands second album Islands which included a superb version of Big Apple, The Lions Mouth and the bouncy Turn Your Back On Me.

The guys made time to showcase some new tracks they had been working on including Death Defying Headlines , the dreamy Space Cadet and High Life. Nick Beggs then took the time to thank those present for having had the patience to let the band indulge in new material. A rare commodity in today’s music scene as most bands would just expect you to have listened regardless.

The band finished the main set with Limahl’s 1984 hit The Never Ending Story which had all those in attendance hoping the night wouldn’t end.

With time running short on a fantastic show, Limahl gave the audience a treat by declaring he had been rummaging through his closets and had found a tape recording of the demo version of the bands number one hit Too Shy which was greeted with cries for the song to be played. The band duly acknowledged the cries and performed a stunning version of the sing which simply rolled back the years.

An excellent night for a band that have been cruelly out of the public eye for too long.

Ian D. Hall