Take a step back in time for a weekend of 1980s nostalgia

The event is taking place once again at Scone Palace in Perthshire from Friday, July 21 to Sunday, July 23.

And this year’s musical feast features a fantastic line-up of the best 1980s acts.

This includes the feisty female lead singer of T’Pau, Carol Decker, and 80s popstar Owen Paul.

Carol will be taking to the stage on Saturday, July 22 and is excited about performing for fans of all ages.

She said: “I have done Rewind a few times and I have also hosted it at Scone Palace. I did the first one, the second one and the third one but I haven’t been up for a couple of years. I absolutely love it at Scone Palace and I love Scotland - the scenery is spectacular.”

Carol revealed she will be singing four songs at the summer festival and promised not to leave out, what many regard as one of her biggest and most-well known hits: “I will be performing T’Pau’s biggest hits, but I won’t say which ones – people will have to come along to find out!” she said.

“But if I left out “China In Your Hand” I would get lynched!

“I co-wrote “China In Your Hand” and sometimes I get fed up with the idea of it because I have been singing the song for a long time. But as soon as I am on stage and the adrenaline starts, I get such a lift and it’s like I am singing the song for the first time. The audience recognises it straight away as soon as they hear the first few bars. I love singing for a large audience - people know all the words.”

This year’s line-up promises to be bigger and better than ever with some fantastic acts from the Eighties.

The 2017 headliners are: The Human League (Saturday, July 22) and Billy Ocean (Sunday, July 23).

Appearing on the Saturday are: Mark King of Level 42; Heather Small, The Trevor Horn Band and special guests, Nik Kershaw, Musical Youth, Go West, Tom Robinson, T’Pau, Chesney Hawkes, The Undertones and The Real Thing.

On The Sunday taking to the stage will be: Soul II Soul, Kim Wilde, Junior Marvin’s Wailers (son of Bob Marley), Belinda Carlisle, Nick Heyward, Jason Donovan, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Doctor & The Medics, British Electric Foundation featuring Glen Matlock, Joy Division’s Peter Hook, Jaki Graham, Owen Paul, Claudia Brücken and Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory.

Earlier this year T’Pau celebrated its 30th anniversary in the music industry by releasing ‘The Virgin Anthology’ - a four CD set that brings together rare singles and remixes from the band’s heyday, demo versions and remastered and expanded versions of the band’s albums Rage and The Promise.

The boxset also features two discs of rare remixes of singles and associated tracks across all three Virgin albums along with half a dozen demo recordings.

Carol said she enjoys reminiscing about the 1980s at events like Rewind: “The atmosphere is wonderful and I have been doing the 80s retro scene since 2001,” she explained.

“It was such a diverse and creative era and all the artists were very different to each other. You had Nik Kershaw, Kim Wilde, Heaven 17, Cyndi Lauper who were all very individual.

“Nowadays though everyone is very similar. The Eighties was an era of new technology, the mobile phone, computer and the pop video. Now progress is incremental – there is a new app every day and you don’t bat an eyelid.

“In terms of music and pop songs today, you have someone who writes songs for a few artists or groups, but in the 1980s we wrote our own songs, we did our own hair and we chose our own clothes.

“Everyone tuned into Top of The Pops back then and we treasured our own records.”

Carol said she is looking forward to performing for her Scottish fans at Rewind: “The Scottish fans are robust, honest and I always find them to be very loyal.

“I have performed in Scotland many times at the SECC in Glasgow and the Edinburgh Playhouse, so if I was offered a show in Scotland I would come along.”

She added: “I love the Scottish countryside and coming back is a real treat. I will be staying in Perth so you will probably see me going for a coffee and a fry-up!”

Meanwhile, Owen Paul revealed this year will be his first time performing as a solo artist at Rewind Scotland.

He said: “I did it a couple of years ago with XSM (X-Simple Minds), which had original members from Simple Minds and we decided to take the group on tour. We did Rewind in 2015 on the Friday night in Perth and it was absolutely pandemonium.

“It was because it was the opening of the Rewind weekend and we were the only show in town! But this time I will be performing on the main stage with Heaven 17 as part of the British Electric Foundation (BEF) on the Sunday. I am really looking forward to it.”

Owen is best known for his 1986 chart topper “My Favourite Waste of Time”, which is still regularly played on radio stations today.

He said: “What’s great about “My Favourite Waste of Time” (which was released in May 1986) is that it has stood the test of time and I’m very proud of that. I disappeared for a long time and I wasn’t doing any shows. I was working behind the scenes as a producer and arranger so I didn’t sing “My Favourite Waste of Time” for 20 years. Now I realise just how much that song meant to so many people and the reaction I get to it is amazing.”

Owen revealed what fans can expect from his performance at this year’s festival: “I will be perfoming a couple of songs myself along with other members of the BEF including Glen Matlock and Peter Hook from Joy Division.

“We are all doing a couple of songs each. So I will be singing “My Favourite Waste of Time” along with another song which is a surprise.

“Then after we have all performed individually we will perform a finale song together.”

Owen revealed why he thinks the 1980s was a special time for music: “The songs from the 1980s were very tuneful and memorable,” he said.

“Songs like “What is Love” from Howard Jones and “Wouldn’t It Be Good” by Nik Kershaw have stood the test of time and people have fond memories of that period.

“Now the music industry hears someone like Ed Sheeran and it says let’s get another 15 Ed Sheerans instead of looking for something different. But back in the 80s you had performers like Midge Ure and Nik Kershaw who were all doing something new.”

He added: “Rewind Scotland is a great Scottish festival and everyone gets into the spirit of it by dressing up. For many it is a weekend away where people can re-live their youth.

“It is great to be part of that.”

Tickets for Rewind Scotland 2017 are available by visiting: www.rewind festival.com