80s Classical 2026
at Millennium Square, Leeds
From £39.50
Includes booking fee
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Next summer, Millennium Square will once again come alive as 80s Classical returns for its 7th spectacular season.
Step back in time and relive the soundtrack of a generation, as original artists perform their biggest hits live, reimagined with the power of the 50-piece Orchestra of Opera North. Joining them on stage, powerhouse backing vocalists Bianca Claxton, and Adetoun Anibi will deliver a mix of crowd-pleasing anthems and iconic floorfillers, keeping the party atmosphere going throughout the night.
Bananarama
The girl group that defined the '80s are back to their original, record-breaking line-up! Since their unforgettable last performance as a trio on The Brits in 1988, Keren and Sara continued as Bananarama, releasing records and touring to global audiences. Siobhan went on to have hit singles and albums around the world as part of Shakespears Sister before becoming a solo artist. Bananarama made it into the Guinness Book Of Records as the most successful female group of all time on account of the fact they’d had more hit singles than any other girl band ever. To date they have had 30 chart hits. They hit the top of charts around the world. In the US, Venus became their first #1 single on the Billboard chart. Their combined record sales were over 40 million.
See Bananarama tour dates
Nik Kershaw
80s pop hero and acclaimed singer/songwriter. Expect a mixed selection of new material as well as all the old favourites.
See Nik Kershaw tour dates
Johnny Hates Jazz
In 1987, as the era of Electronic Pop and New Romantics was reaching its culmination, Anglo-American group Johnny Hates Jazz featuring Clark Datchler and Mike Nocito were catapulted to success with the release of their single 'Shattered Dreams' on Virgin Records. It became a top 5 hit worldwide, reaching number 2 in the USA and Japan, and has since been played over 3.5 million times on American radio alone. 'Shattered Dreams' was followed by other hits including the anti-war anthem 'I Don't Want To Be A Hero', 'Turn Back The Clock' (featuring Kim Wilde) and 'Heart Of Gold'. Their album 'Turn Back The Clock' entered the UK charts at number 1, going double-platinum and selling 4 million copies in the process. It is arguably one of the definitive albums of the 1980's, and is one of only two debut albums released by Virgin Records that immediately went to the top of the charts upon its release — the other being ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ by The Sex Pistols. The band went their separate ways shortly afterwards, deciding to focus on other musical projects instead. In fact, over the next 20 years, they completely lost contact with one and other. However in 2010, original members Clark Datchler (lead singer/songwriter/keyboard player) and Mike Nocito (producer/engineer/ bass guitarist) decided to come back together to write, record and produce a brand new Johnny Hates Jazz album. At the same time, they began to perform live at international festivals. That album, titled 'Magnetized', was released in 2013, and the single of the same name became a huge radio hit in both the UK and Germany. Unfortunately, Clark collapsed in London shortly afterwards, and was diagnosed with a serious illness. All promotion came to an abrupt halt, and he spent much of the following year recovering. Fortunately, he made a full recovery and JHJ began to perform again at festivals in Europe and Asia. They toured the UK in 2016, appearing at theatres across the country. During this time, Clark also joined forced with Genesis legend Mike Rutherford to co-write the new Mike and The Mechanics album, ‘Let Me Fly’.
See Johnny Hates Jazz tour dates
Nick Heyward
One of the hottest and most popular artists from the '80s. Frontman of teenpop sensations Haircut 100, Nick went on to amass more hit singles as a solo artist in his own right when Haircut split up.
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Millennium Square
Calverley Street
Leeds
LS1 1UR
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on Sat 27 June 2026