Express & Star

Sister Sledge, Jason Donovan, Martika and more: 80s Invasion Tour 2019 coming to Birmingham

A tour with a host of 80s music icons is coming to Birmingham

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Jason Donovan

The 80s Invasion Tour features Sister Sledge, Jason Donovan, The Fizz, Five Star, Martika, Hue and Cry and Living In A Box featuring Kenny Thomas.

Sister Sledge sold millions of records worldwide with the album We Are Family, earning them multi-platinum status. They went onto have multiple chart anthems that include the UK hits Lost In Music, We Are Family, Thinking Of You and the number one Frankie that remained at the top of the UK charts for four weeks. The group has sold 15 million records worldwide.

At present Sister Sledge consist of original members Debbie and Kim alongside Tanya, niece of one of the original members.

Jason Donovan has had an extraordinarily successful pop career, initially with Stock Aitkin and Waterman. His many hits include Nothing Can Divide Us, Especially For You the duet with Kylie Minogue and Too Many Broken Hearts.

His performance in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat earned him a number one hit with Any Dream Will Do.

Martika, the US pop singer-songwriter and actress, made an immediate impact on our shores with the number five hit Toy Soldiers, released in 1989. She has sold four million albums worldwide.

She began her career as a child actor, appearing in the hit movie Annie and went on to be cast as Gloria on the Disney children series Kids Incorporate, alongside Stacy Ferguson.

Five Star, the family group formed as teenagers, had a string of soul-pop hit singles in the 1980s.

Their debut album, Luxury Of Life, reached number 12, spending 70 weeks on the chart and selling over 300,000 copies, earning Five Star a platinum disc. The singles All Fall Down and Let Me Be The One became worldwide hits, while their album Silk and Steel reached number one and went quadruple platinum.

They also became the youngest group ever to top the British charts and the first black group to top the UK charts.

The Fizz emerged from Bucks Fizz, whose original members, Cheryl Baker, Jay Aston and Mike Nolan, won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest.

They became household names thanks to their iconic skirt ripping routine to their number one hit Making Your Mind Up, which sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.

Their other top hits include Land Of Make Believe and My Camera Never Lies, both reached number one in the charts. They have also won countless music industry awards, including Best Group at the BPI Rock and Pop awards in 1982.

Brothers Patrick and Gregory Kane made a huge impact in the late 80s as Hue and Cry, with the albums Seduced and Abandoned and Remote, as well as hit singles Labour of Love, Ordinary Angel and Looking for Linda.

To date, they have sold in excess of two million records worldwide. Hue and Cry have also performed alongside some of the greatest artists in music history - U2, James Brown and Madonna, to name but a few.

The duo was recognised by their peers when they were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Scottish Music Awards.

Living in a Box featuring Kenny Thomas had several hit singles, such as Living In A Box, Love is the Art and Blow the House Down, which featured Queen's Brian May on guitar.

The band features original members Marcus Vere and Tich, alongside new member Kenny Thomas, the double platinum award nominated vocalist.

The 80s Invasion Tour comes to Arena Birmingham on October 31.

For more information and to buy tickets, click here.