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Culture Club rolls back the years at Newmarket




Boy George on stage at Newmarket Nights, July 21 2017
Boy George on stage at Newmarket Nights, July 21 2017
Culture Club on stage at Newmarket Nights, July 21 2017
Culture Club on stage at Newmarket Nights, July 21 2017

The 80s icons came to Newmarket Nights as part of a short tour of UK racecourses – and they didn’t disappoint.

Boy George and the original lineup of Culture Club – Roy Hay (guitar), Mikey Craig (bass) and Jon Moss (drums) – appeared at the July Course in Newmarket as part of a short tour of UK racecourses.

Turns out that Boy George, dressed all in black with large hat, has a bit of a connection to racing. “My dad used to like a flutter,” revealed the witty and entertaining host.

Accompanied by other musicians and backing singers from various parts of the world, the popular quartet kicked things off with Church of the Poison Mind, a number two hit from 1983.

Roy Hay and Boy George of Culture Club on stage at Newmarket Nights, July 21 2017
Roy Hay and Boy George of Culture Club on stage at Newmarket Nights, July 21 2017

Fears that Culture Club only have two outstanding songs – Do You Really Want to Hurt Me and Karma Chameleon – were soon quashed as the group pulled out almost-as-enjoyable classics such as It’s a Miracle, I’ll Tumble 4 Ya and Miss Me Blind.

As Boy George’s debut solo album Sold was one of the first cassettes I ever bought back in 1987, I was particularly pleased to hear his number one hit from it – his only chart-topper as a solo artist – Everything I Own.

A surprising, but welcome, cover came in the form of Tainted Love. “How do you follow a song like that?” asked George. “You follow it with a song like this,” the familiar introduction to Do You Really Want to Hurt Me sending the large crowd into rapture.

George spoke of the fact that although Culture Club is an “80s band,” he still feels “stuck in the 70s.” He expressed his admiration for acts of that era such as David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Roxy Music and, rather unexpectedly, the Rolling Stones. A funky version of You Can’t Always Get What You Want followed.

Boy George and Mikey Craig of Culture Club on stage at Newmarket Nights, July 21 2017
Boy George and Mikey Craig of Culture Club on stage at Newmarket Nights, July 21 2017

Karma Chameleon was played at the end and, in keeping with the rest of the gig, it was a pleasure to listen to. In short, Culture Club’s Newmarket performance was a triumph.

cultureclub.co.uk



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