THE SUMMER is still several months away but household names have signed up for this year’s Upton Sunshine Festival.
Now in its eighth year, the Sunshine Festival is set to further cement its place as the “heart of the country’s greatest” family event.
Big stars in music have already signed up to the three-day August Bank Holiday festival including Blue, 1980s pop star Paul Young, singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Kim Wilde and group Atomic Kitten.
Comprising of London-based lads Antony Costa, Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan and Duncan James, Blue released their first single in May 2001, the anthemic ‘All Rise’, and were immediately on their way to pop stardom.
The boys decided to take a break from their hectic schedules in 2005 and pursue solo projects, which included solo albums, stage performances, stints on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Dancing On Ice and more.
On June 7, 2009, Blue reunited to headline at Capital FM’s charity event, Summertime Ball at the Emirates stadium, ‘duetting’ with Lionel Richie on his classic ballad ‘Easy’ and performing their greatest hits before a sell-out crowd of 55,000.
That was the first steps towards the long road to “Roulette”, Blue’s first new studio album in ten years.
Paul Young came into his own with his first solo album ‘No Parlez’ in 1983 with the release going triple platinum in the UK alone, and spawned the number one single ‘Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)’, which maintained the top spot for most of that summer.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor became a familiar face in the 1990s and enjoyed huge success in the UK singles chart with “I’ve Got the Wherewithal.”
In the late 2000s Sophie appeared as a major star alongside Italian DJ/producer Spiller.
The Venetian had just put together a disco house number titled “Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love),” and was looking for a female vocalist to add spice to the work.
The hit went straight to number one on the singles chart before Ellis-Bexter made another smash hit – “Murder on the Dancefloor”.
Throughout the ‘noughties’ Atomic Kitten flew the flag as the biggest girl group in Europe selling more than eight million records and selling out arenas globally.
The UK pop scene sorely missed the famous trio but now they’re back.
With founder member Kerry Katona re-joining her fellow Kittens, Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton, the three originals are back and ready to make up for lost time.
Menawhile Kim Wilde was born in Chiswick, West London to legendary 1950’s British Rock’n’Roll singer, Marty Wilde, and his wife Joyce – a member of the singing group, The Vernons Girls.
Her first single release, ‘Kids In America’ in 1981, was a worldwide hit paving the way for a recording career which has so far yielded twelve studio albums and in excess of thirty singles, bringing success in every major record market and sales of 10 million and 20 million respectively.
For more details and ticket information contact [email protected].
