Let’s Rock and A Perfect Day music festivals head to Delapré Park next week

Let’s Rock Northampton and A Perfect Day festivals will take place on consecutive days, with headliners Billy Ocean and James Arthur set to be joined by dozens of other acts.

Let’s Rock, which is heading to Northampton for the first time, is on Saturday, June 15.

Headliner Ocean will be joined by a host of other acts from the 1980s including Tony Hadley, The Boomtown Rats, Jason Donovan, Go West, Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins), Heaven 17, Altered Images, China Crisis, Sonia, T’Pau and Dollar.

Since launching in 2009, Let’s Rock has grown into the UK’s biggest retro festival series and, in doing so, has helped re-launched and revitalized the careers of many iconic ‘80s artists.

The Northampton date is one of six festivals taking place across the UK this summer.

Headliner Billy Ocean broke through in 1976 with the smash Love Really Hurts Without You and had a string of further hits throughout the late ‘70s and early-mid ‘80s, including Red Light Spells Danger, Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run), There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) and the chart topping 1985 single When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.

The same year, Billy became the first British artist to win the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

In 2020 he was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to music.

He said: “I genuinely love playing Let’s Rock - the atmosphere is always brilliant. Ten thousand crazy fans singing your songs back to you – what could be better.”

Jason Donovan has sold millions of albums in the UK and had four number one singles including Especially For You, Too Many Broken Hearts, Sealed With A Kiss and Any Dream Will Do.

As part of Spandau Ballet, Tony Hadley released hits including True, Gold and Only When You Leave while Heaven 17 are best known for their 1983 single Temptation.

General admission tickets for Let’s Rock Northampton cost from £42 before fees and £15 before fees for children aged between three and 12 years old.

VIP packages and tickets for access to ‘posh loos’ are also available.

Premium Parking costs £15 before fees. For full details, visit www.letsrock80s.com

Former X-Factor winner James Arthur will headline the A Perfect Day festival on Sunday, June 16.

He will be joined by soul singer Jalen Ngonda, ADMT, Dolores Forever, the Northants Sings Out choir, Mae Stephens, Billy Lockett, Andy Crofts, Charlotte Carpenter and Balter.

Arthur rose to prominence in 2012 and since winning the competition, he has gone on to accrue a massive haul of hits including Impossible, You’re Nobody Til Someone Loves You, Sun Comes Up, Naked, Rewrite The Stars and his global breakthrough track Say You Won’t Let Go.

His fifth album Bitter Sweet Love’ was released in January.

The Northants Sings Out choir have been wowing TV audiences nationwide on Britain’s Got Talent, competing in the competition’s final on Sunday night.

Kettering’s Mae Stephens broke through last year when her track If We Ever Broke Up became an international smash and was named the second most popular song on TikTok globally in 2023.

A Perfect Day is a new one day outdoor live music event hosted by West Northants Council in partnership with Kilimanjaro and UK Live Ltd.

Tickets are on sale now and general admission costs £48.50 before fees.

Tickets cost £35 for under 18s, £25 for under 13s, £98.50 for VIP access and £230 for the premium package.

Premium parking is also available for A Perfect Day and costs £15 before fees.

For more information, visit https://www.aperfectdayfestival.com