Go West and Nik Kershaw at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. November 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Whoever thought of putting together two of the big names of their generation, not only on the same bill, but as some sort of 80s super-group, for a tour deserves to be given their own office, an unlimited budget and the phone numbers of all the bands of the last great decade for singles and the 45s.

On paper, on the front of the ticket in bold stamp and in the mind, it surely shouldn’t work having both Go West and Nik Kershaw play in the same band, the music whilst complimenting each other on radio stations world-wide for the last 30 years, the styles are not necessarily interchangeable. Yet somehow as the first notes of a rather splendid opening cover of Tears For Fears’ Everybody Wants To Rule The World rang out across the Philharmonic Hall, the ease of the notes, the pull of the sentiment was such that it could not be ignored and a bursting to the brim with 80s echoing memories Philharmonic Hall audience all got their feet and danced the night away as if white high heeled shoes were back in fashion and jackets sleeves were rolled down to the elbows once more.

The sight of Richard Drummie, Peter Cox and Nik Kershaw stood side by side for most of the night was one to take enormous pleasure in and as they interchanged, sometimes disappearing off stage with quiet deference whilst the other played a particular crowd pleasing tune, there was something to be said for the way they handled any slow resistance to the mix and match style of the evening and it was presented with style, of that there should be no doubt what so ever.

Songs such as Call Me, Wide Boy, The One And Only, Black and Gold, Goodbye Girl, The Riddle, We Close Our Eyes, Wouldn’t It Be Good and The King of Wishful Thinking were more than just memories tied together with passionate thought of a generation who arguably had the music world at their feet, they were nuggets of greatness that in many cases have never been beaten for the way they were harvested and given to the world.

The neatly divided set was one in which the dancing never stopped, in which calf muscles may have begun to ache as the owner climbed into bed but the dreams of a great mix of style, of complimenting voices and great era-defining music would send the owner, the 80s music fan off into the hands of Morpheus without a care in the world. Go West and Nick Kershaw together on stage, like Kevin Keegan and John Toshack in their glory days at Anfield, the seemingly telepathic link between the two verging on the indestructible.

A great night of music provided by two masters of the 80s period, one not to have missed.

Ian D. Hall.