16 August 2025 (gig)
19 August 2025
There’s nothing better than being in a field and singing your hearts out to songs you love with like-minded people - and the Rewind Festival offers just that.
Rewinders flocked to the Henley-on-Thames festival in their droves this year after Rewind North and Scotland were sadly cancelled, but the fans were rewarded with a weekend of class acts, headlined by Soft Cell and Holly Johnson.
As usual, Britain’s most colourful festival featured all manner of 80s costume characters, from Hong Kong Phooey to Ghostbusters and Baywatch, all enjoying an equally colourful array of music.
This year’s line-up had something for everyone and a few new acts to grace the Rewind stage including Bros legend, Matt Goss, whose Vegas style pop set and suave demeanour went down a storm with the ladies. His special guest, actor Will Mellor was also a big hit when he joined Matt on stage for a crowd-pleasing rendition of When Will I be Famous.
Also new to the Rewind stage was multi-million selling group Blue who got the crowd swaying to a string of hits including All Rise and One Love.
Another Rewind newcomer, Junior, was a big hit with Rewinders and what a voice! As well as performing his global hit Mama Used to Say, Junior gave a soulful rendition of A Change is Gonna Come, among other great tunes.
To get the show on the road on Saturday, was TV legend Basil Brush alongside Greatest Hits Radio presenter Jenny Powell, who made a great double opening act – boom boom Basil, we loved your rendition of Purple Rain by Prince!!
Among Saturday’s highlights were Thompson Twin Tom Bailey who always gets the crowd singing along to his back catalogue of hits including Doctor Doctor and Hold Me Now. Kid Creole and his ever-youthful Coconuts brought some glamour, calypso and sunshine to Henley with top tunes including Stool Pigeon and Annie I’m Not Your Daddy, bringing the audience right back to the 80s.
As always, Rewind favourites Go West, ABC and The South didn’t fail to disappoint and there were great sets by Cutting Crew, new Rewind favourites Boyzlife, Sugar Hill Gang and the Furious5 and Wang Chung.
Wrapping up the Saturday fun was Soft Cell who performed an exclusive show for 2025, their only gig of the year. Always an occasion to break out the pink flamingos, the crowd became a sea of pink as their inflatable mascots swayed to the voice of Marc Almond, who belted out Soft Cell hits including Say Hello, Wave Goodbye and Tainted Love. Whilst some festival goers missed hearing Marc’s solo hits like Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart and The Days of Pearly Spencer, it was great to see Marc reunited with Dave Ball on stage.
Fast forwarding to Sunday and it certainly was a sunny day, with temperatures as hot as the line-up. It was also an emotional one with a few of the artists sharing heart-rending tributes to lost loved ones, as Holly Johnson did for his long-term partner of 41 years before performing The Power of Love. Chesney Hawkes also dedicated a song in memory of his best friend.
Rewinders were also right behind the legend that is Midge Ure, following the recent announcement that he is cancelling all gigs until at least Christmas while he battles a health issue. These poignant circumstances made his performance even more emotional for the crowd and what a performance it was. Looking visibly moved, Midge blew the audience away with his stunning guitar playing and his classic hits including Dancing With Tears in My Eyes, If I Was and Vienna.
Rewind favourites Haircut 100, The Selecter, Heaven 17, T’Pau and Chesney Hawkes all made a welcome return to Henley.
Roachford, who hasn’t performed at the festival since 2018, brought his soulful tones to Rewind with hits including Cuddly Toy and Only To Be With You.
Punk band Tenpole Tudor, who are enjoying recent coverage in a Haven holidays TV commercial with their Top Ten hit Swords of A Thousand Men, returned to the festival after a 13 year hiatus.
The Power of Love was felt by festival goers as Rewind drew to a close with headliner, Frankie Goes to Hollywood legend Holly Johnson. With songs like Relax, Rage Hard and Two Tribes, it was an explosive and memorable ending to an epic weekend.
Other Rewind Festival highlights this year included Friday night openers Gertcha, a brilliant Chas and Dave tribute act, and the Greatest Hits Radio takeover of the Pink Flamingo tent, which featured foxy celebrity Basil Brush, children’s TV legend Timmy Mallett, 80s Gladiator Jet, and DJs Jenny Powell, Jackie Brambles and Mr Broom Cupboard himself, Andy Crane (who even brought along Ed the Duck for a boogie in the Pink Flamingo!).
Meanwhile the Riverside Stage had a distinctly feline theme, thanks to a purr-fect Rockabilly performance by Starcats, featuring Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats, Phil Polecat and Neal X of Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
A taste of the X Factor was brought to Rewind courtesy of Louis Winthorpe’s Wall of Sound, a new offering in the Pink Flamingo tent this year. Louis, aka Matt from the Chas and Dave tribute band Gertcha, teamed up with T’Pau’s Carol Decker who was head judge in the talent show for Rewinders.
A host of tribute bands Noasis, Blondied and Elton Wrong also entertained Rewinders at the weekend on both the Pink Flamingo and Riverside stages, which also provided a platform for other live acts.
Rewind is truly a magical place. Long term Rewind compere, Clive Jackson of Doctor and the Medics, commented on the love he felt radiating from the audience and urged them to carry this away with them into everyday life. Now that’s an accurate diagnosis of the therapeutic effects of the Rewind Festival that should be prescribed to everyone!
Photo credit: Jo Miles
