Sometimes the best things in life start in an unexpected way. Imagine, you’re about to go to a festival, you’ve kept your ticket safely in your desk, and you’ve been getting excited as the date approaches. You pack your bags with the essentials: small stove, sleeping bag, waterproofs, clothes, and food. You’ve got your train ticket on your mobile, and you’re ready to go.
Then your accommodation falls through.
Rewind The 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Crowd at the Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Rewind The 80s North Festival (Edyta Krzesak)
Rewind The 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
On the bright side, I discover this before setting off from London. But it’s the day of the festival, my train departs in 2 hours, and I have nowhere to stay. Even lastminute.com is coming up empty. Thank God for friends, who helped me find probably the last privately listed room in Macclesfield, the nearest town to Rewind The 80s Festival North.
Peter Hook @ Rewind 80’s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
John Parr @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
British Electric Fundation – Owen Paul @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Sister Sledge @ Rewind The 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
So I put a smile on my face and, after a few more bumps, land on the festival site. The sun’s shining, the crowd’s cheering, and the music’s already playing. I’m clearly late. But the good thing about festivals is you forget about the outside world. The full onslaught on your senses, the sights, the sounds, the smells, make your head spin and your soul sing.
Dr and the Medics @ Rewind The 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Rewind The 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
The Trevor Horn Band @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Crowd at the Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
As I settle in, the festival field is filled with thousands of music lovers young and old. Some clearly remember the ’80s first-hand. Others, who weren’t even alive at the time, are rediscovering the era and proving that music is timeless and knows no age boundaries.
Rewind The 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Matt Cardle performing with The Trevor Horn Band @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Level 42 @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Tom Robinson @ 80s Rewind Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Although I’m a rock fan through and through, ’80s pop hits are not unknown to me. In fact, I’ve always had a small love affair with the sweet sound of the era. Rocking my AC/DC hoodie, I dance with the crowd, singing out loud, watching bands I never expected to see live.
Kim Wilde @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Altered Images @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Roland Gift @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Nick Heyward (Edyta Krzesak)
Saturday offers up The Blockheads, Peter Hook & The Light, The Trevor Horn Band, Level 42, Dr & The Medics, Tom Robinson, Hugh Cornwell, Altered Images, Roland Gift, Kim Wild, Village People, and Sister Sledge, which all adds up to one huge party. Even the rain, which pours down on Sunday, leaving me soaking wet, can’t crush the Rewind spirit.
Crowd at the Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Village People @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Crowd singing YMCA at the Rewind 80’s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Fans @ Rewind The 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Along with the rain, Sunday brings my personal highlight of the festival, Status Quo. They’re the band I missed out on last Glastonbury because they clashed with Radiohead. Topping the bill at Rewind North, they’re as unbelievably good as I expected. Age does not diminish real talent.
Status Quo @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Crowd at the Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
The Orchestra @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
The second day of the festival also sees the likes of Johny Hates Jazz, Junior Marvin’s Wailers, The Orchestra, British Electric Foundation, John Parr, T’Pau, Toyah, Nick Heyward, and Belinda Carlise keep the good times going. The mixture is served spiced up and well shaken by one of the most influential icons of the ’80s, DJ Rusty Egan.
British Electric Fundation – Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Belinda Carlise @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Johnny Hates Jazz @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Hugh Cornwell @ Rewind 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
If you’re a fan of the decade, Rewind is a festival you shouldn’t miss, although I’d recommend it to every music lover. And there’s still one more chance to rewind this year, with the South edition scheduled for 18-20 August at Henley-On-Thames.
Rewind The 80s Festival North (Edyta Krzesak)
Rewind The 80s Festival North, Cheshire, 5-6 August 2017
Photostory by Edyta K