THEY may be older, wiser and more lined but top popstars of

the 80s proved they still have the same chart-topping magic

which propelled them to fame more than 20 years ago as they

wowed thousands of music lovers.

The Greatest 80s Party Ever was just one of a series of

three major concerts at Powderham Castle at the weekend.

Screaming fans relived the 90s heyday of Boyzone on Friday

and Katie Melua ended the tune-packed three days with her

trademark laid-back style last night.

On Saturday, more than 8,500 people turned up to the 80s

concert to see Bananarama, The Real Thing, Paul Young, Belinda

Carlisle, Heaven 17, T'Pau, Midge Ure, Rick Astley, Nick

Heyward and Toyah.

Collectively, the acts have been in the charts for 20 years

and had 45 Top Ten hits. As well as reliving all of those

tunes, the audience was also treated to a massive fireworks

finale.

Each act performed three or four songs before leaving the

stage.

Craig Bowden and Amy Tucker, both 23, went with colleagues

from the educational day centre where they work, and Craig's

parents.

The friends, both from Exeter, came in fancy dress — Craig

as Miami Vice and Amy in ra-ra skirt and leg warmers. And they

sang and danced throughout the concert.

“I knew the songs — I just didn't know who sang them. But we

all thought Belinda Carlisle was brilliant and the older people

in our party loved Rick Astley,” Amy said.

“We also thought Carol Decker from T'Pau sang China in Your

Hand really well.”

There was a prom-style atmosphere at the concert and many

fans had brought camping chairs and picnics.

Many of the acts stayed in Exeter hotels. Paul Young was

seen having a quiet drink in Hotel Barcelona on Saturday night

after the 80s concert. Belinda Carlisle was also thought to

have stayed at the hotel.

Boyzone bedded down at the Royal Clarence on Friday night

following their knock-out performance.

For many it was a dream come true when the Irish boy band

took to the stage.

Fans screamed and danced their appreciation as the boys —

Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and

Keith Duffy — belted out some of their most famous hits

including Love Me for A Reason, Key to My Life, All That I

Need, Picture of You and When the Going Gets Tough.

Kate Checkley, a student nurse from Exeter, said Powderham

Castle's setting made the concert all the more special.

“Everybody was screaming and dancing. You could see masses

of people singing along — it was a really good atmosphere,” she

said.

“I was a huge fan when the band first came out in the 90s

but this was the first time I'd seen them in concert.

“What was lovely was that they really looked like they were

enjoying themselves and they've definitely got better with

age!”

Karen Cochran, a team organiser from Exminster, treated her

59-year-old mum to the concert for her birthday.

She said: “We had a fantastic time. I'm a fan but not as big

a fan as my mum — she absolutely loves them.

“The Michael Jackson medley was brilliant and really

unexpected. Their dancing was really good.”

Aimee Starkie, 15, of Exeter, said she was not a big fan

before going to the concert but now plans to buy all their

albums.

“The band are a bit before my time but I went with some

people from work and thought they were brilliant,” she said.

“I've been totally converted.”

Michelle Lang, of Totnes, has been a fan of Boyzone since

she was 10 but had never seen the group perform live until

Friday's concert.

The 22-year-old, who went with her 17-year-old sister Kim,

said: “It was fantastic. I've never seen them before and it was

my dream to see Ronan.

“They performed a Michael Jackson medley during the concert,

which was brilliant. They sung all their classics and really

got the crowd going with a few of the songs such as A Different

Beat and When the Going Gets Tough. Everyone really got into

Father and Son as well.

“They really pulled out all the stops — it was a really good

show.”

Yesterday evening soulful songstress Katie Melua took to the

Powderham stage for the climax to the big musical weekend.

Thousands of fans watched the 24-year-old perform into the

summer night.

A firm favourite with Radio 2 listeners, Katie is one of the

country's most successful artists, and has sold more than 7.5

million albums.

A graduate of the Brit School of Performing Arts, Katie rose

to fame after her music was heard by composer and producer Mike

Batt, who has played a key role in guiding her career.