FESTIVAL NEWS : LET'S ROCK - just 2 months until the UK's biggest retro festival kicks off their summer 2022 series

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LET’S ROCK: THE UK’S LEADING RETRO FESTIVAL

FOURTEEN EVENTS ACROSS THE UK THIS SUMMER

WITH A TOTAL AUDIENCE OF OVER 150,000

HEADLINERS INCLUDE BILLY OCEAN, ADAM ANT, OMD, THE HUMAN LEAGUE,

WET WET WET & SQUEEZE (MAKING THEIR LET’S ROCK DEBUT)

“Every year Let’s Rock is just a great party day out for everyone concerned, the bands as well as the audiences. It never fails to bring joy!” (Andy McCluskey, OMD)

A joyous annual celebration of all things pop and ‘80s, with fourteen events across the UK this summer Let’s Rock is the UK’s leading retro festival series. In a festival scene dominated by the same names and themes, Let’s Rock offers something different: gloriously unpretentious

non-stop fun where iconic names from pop play hit after hit to a crowd of all ages and, with the addition of two more festival sites for 2022, this years’ Let’s Rock is the biggest yet.

The fun starts at Let’s Rock The Moor in Berkshire on May 21 and runs through to the inaugural Let’s Rock Ipswich on September 10, taking in fourteen locations right across the UK. A combined audience of over 150,000 people will be entertained by many of the biggest stars of the era when British pop ruled supreme, including headliners Squeeze (making their Let’s Rock debut), Billy Ocean, Adam Ant, OMD, The Human League, and Wet Wet Wet. With different line-ups at all the festivals, other performers include ABC, Level 42, Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins), Nik Kershaw, Jason Donovan, Tony Hadley, Nick Heyward, The Selecter, Go West, Belinda Carlisle, Toyah, Scritti Politti, Johnny Hates Jazz, Bad Manners, Pigbag & many, many more.

Since launching in 2008 with a solitary festival at Cookham Moor in Berkshire, Let’s Rock has grown into the UK’s biggest retro festival series, and in doing so has re-launched and revitalized the careers of many ‘80s icons. Moreover, in a crowded festival market, Let’s Rock has managed to grow and grow: 2022 will be their biggest year yet in terms of both audience and number of festival locations.

The incredibly loyal and notoriously enthusiastic Let’s Rock audiences – many of whom dress up and attend in their finest ‘80s fashion – are one of the many reasons the stars return year after year….

“Let’s Rock is very special because not only are there back-to-back acts all day who are all brilliant and iconic, but also the atmosphere is friendly and family-oriented. You can look out over an audience and sometimes see three generations of the same family, and the whole audience is treated as family.”

Toyah

“I think we are all looking forward to getting the fun times back, and the beauty of festivals for me is being in a field somewhere with likeminded people who love their music. It will be epic!”

Mark King, Level 42

“Let’s Rock was our first gig back after locking down started, we were in uncertain times then. It’s always special to be able to play music to a crowd, but this was extra special as it was our first attended gig for a couple of years so the emotions were running high. Combine that with the crowd, emotive music and the feelings can be overwhelming.”

Graeme Clark, Wet Wet Wet

“Festivals like Let’s Rock give everybody the opportunity to indulge in catching up on times past.”

Pauline Black, The Selecter

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the country, everybody’s there for the nostalgia and their genuine love of the music. The energy is simply electric from every single crowd!”

Jaki Graham

“The Let’s Rock audience are always, always ready to party, and that’s no lie.”

Glenn Gregory, Heaven 17

“The Let’s Rock crowds are among the best we’ve ever played for. They always make us feel so welcome and are full of enthusiasm and energy – we feel that onstage and it fires us up.”

Go West

LET’S ROCK 2022 FACTS & STATS…

There will be more No.1 hits performed at Let’s Rock than any other festival – this year’s stellar line-up is responsible for 21 UK Official Single Charts Number 1 hits and have sold over a quarter of a billion albums between them.

Let’s Rock 2022 is the biggest yet, taking in 14 locations and reaching a total audience of over 150,000 – more than Glastonbury Festival.

Squeeze have had 12 UK Top 40 hits, with both “Cool For Cats” and “Up The Junction” narrowly missing out on the No.1 spot in 1979. When Squeeze performed their 1982 single “Black Coffee In Bed” at the Kentucky Bourbon & Beyond Festival in 2019, famous fan Dave Grohl guested on drums.

Adam Ant enjoyed an incredible run of hit singles with Adam & The Ants between 1980-1983, enjoying 10 Top 10 singles including 3 No.1 smashes. Adam story-boarded and produced all of the band’s classic videos himself.

With his 1985 US No.1 “Caribbean Queen,” Billy Ocean was the first British artist to win the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Billy was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List in 2020 for services to music.

OMD have sold an incredible 40 million albums worldwide to date. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphries first met at primary school on The Wirral, Merseyside. Their first synthesiser, a Korg, was bought via Andy’s mum’s Kays catalogue at £7.76 per month for 36 months!

2022 marks the 45^th Anniversary of The Human League. Although vocalist Philip Oakey has been a constant band member since 1977, original members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig-Marsh left in 1981 to form Heaven 17 – and Martyn will also be taking Heaven 17 to a number of Let’s Rock shows this year.

Wet Wet Wet are celebrating their 40^th Anniversary in 2022, having originally formed in Clydebank in 1982. Their cover of The Troggs’ ‘60s hit “Love Is All Around” – famously used in the film ‘Four Weddings And A Funeral’ – spent an incredible 15 weeks at No.1 on the UK Official Singles Chart in 1994.

Let’s Rock works with many amazing charities including official charity partner Child Bereavement UK. With their festivals unable to take place during 2020, Let’s Rock organised three online festivals which drew an estimated audience of 3 million and raised £200,000 for the charity.

LET’S ROCK FESTIVAL SERIES 2022

MAY 21 LET’S ROCK THE MOOR, MARSH MEADOW, COOKHAM, BERKS

SQUEEZE + WET WET WET, TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWOOD, GO WEST, PIGBAG, THE SELECTER, JASON DONOVAN, SCRITTI POLITTI, JOHNNY HATES JAZZ & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockthemoor.com/

MAY 28 LET’S ROCK NORWICH, EARLHAM PARK, NORWICH

THE HUMAN LEAGUE, BILLY OCEAN + LEVEL 42, TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWARD, NIK KERSHAW, THE SELECTER, SCRITTI POLITTI & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrocknorwich.com/

JUNE 4 LET’S ROCK WALES, TREDEGAR PARK, NEWPORT

ADAM ANT, OMD + ABC, HOWARD JONES, KIM WILDE, JAKI GRAHAM, CHESNEY HAWKES, BETTY BOO, T’PAU, HUE & CRY & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockwales.com/

JUNE 11 LET’S ROCK THE NORTH EAST, HERRINGTON COUNTRY PARK, SUNDERLAND

BILLY OCEAN, WET WET WET + LEVEL 42, TONY HADLEY, TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWARD, BAD MANNERS, SCRITTI POLITTI, JOHNNY HATES JAZZ & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockthenortheast.com/

JUNE 18 LET’S ROCK SCOTLAND, DALKEITH COUNTRY PARK, MIDLOTHIAN

OMD, SQUEEZE + LEVEL 42, TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWARD, PIGBAG, THE SELECTER, TOYAH, SCRITTI POLITTI, MUSICAL YOUTH & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockscotland.com/

JUNE 25 LET’S ROCK LEEDS, TEMPLE NEWSAM, LEEDS

WET WET WET, BILLY OCEAN + TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWARD, GO WEST, NIK KERSHAW, BAD MANNERS, BELINDA CARLISLE, SCRITTI POLITTI, JOHNNY HATES JAZZ & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockleeds.com/

JULY 2 LET’S ROCK EXETER, POWDERHAM CASTLE, KENTON, EXETER

THE HUMAN LEAGUE, OMD + BILLY OCEAN, TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWARD, GO WEST, THE SELECTER, BELINDA CARLISLE, SCRITTI POLITTI & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockexeter.com

JULY 9 LET’S ROCK SOUTHAMPTON, SOUTHAMPTON COMMON, SOUTHAMPTON

ADAM ANT, BILLY OCEAN + TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWARD, TONY HADLEY, SCRITTI POLITTI, BAD MANNERS, BELINDA CARLISLE, ROLAND GIFT & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrocksouthampton.com/

JULY 16 LET’S ROCK SHREWSBURY, THE QUARRY, SHREWSBURY

WET WET WET, BILLY OCEAN + TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWARD, TONY HADLEY, SCRITTI POLITTI, BAD MANNERS, BELINDA CARLISLE & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockshrewsbury.com/

JULY 30 LET’S ROCK LIVERPOOL, WAVERTREE PLAYING FIELDS (MYSTERY)

BILLY OCEAN, CO-HEADLINER TBA + LEVEL 42, TOM BAILEY (THOMPSON TWINS), NICK HEYWARD, GO WEST, BAD MANNERS, BELINDA CARLISLE, THE FARM, PIGBAG, JOHNNY HATES JAZZ & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockliverpool.com/

AUGUST 6 LET’S ROCK NORTHERN IRELAND, WARD PARK, BANGOR

ADAM ANT, WET WET WET + ABC, HOWARD JONES, MARC ALMOND, SISTER SLEDGE, THE REAL THING, CHESNEY HAWKES, TOYAH, T’PAU & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockbelfast.com/

AUGUST 13 LET’S ROCK IRELAND, FAIRYHOUSE RACECOURSE, COUNTY MEATH

ADAM ANT, BILLY OCEAN + ABC, HOWARD JONES, TONY HADLEY, SISTER SLEDGE, GO WEST, NIK KERSHAW & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockireland.com/

SEPT 3 LET’S ROCK KENT, MOTE PARK, MAIDSTONE

WET WET WET, BANANARAMA + ABC, HOWARD JONES, SISTER SLEDGE, MIDGE URE, GO WEST, NIK KERSHAW, CHESNEY HAWKES, THE REAL THING & MANY MORE

Tickets: https://letsrockkent.com/

SEPT 10 LET’S ROCK IPSWICH, TRINITY PARK, IPSWICH

ADAM ANT, OMD + ABC, HOWARD JONES, HEAVEN 17, GO WEST, HEATHER SMALL, NIK KERSHAW, TOYAH & MANY MORE