IN 80s

David Campbell dug out a pastel T-shirt, rolled up his jeans and channelled his enthusiasm for the 80s into an album of covers from the decade which brought us bands like Wham, Wang Chung and Spandau Ballet.

Don’t for one minute think David Campbell is having you on. The awarded singer and entertainer’s latest album might be a collection of 80’s covers but he’s delivered them with such style there’s nothing cheesy about it.

The recently released Let’s Go romps through a dozen 80s classics with gusto and makes for a perfect party for those who remember the originals and anyone else who enjoys fizzy pop with an injection of fun.

“The songs from this period were really great compared to many songs from the 90s which were cynical, ironic and often bitter,” David says. “There was a sense of hope about these songs, as well as a party. We’re all angry about something at the moment and I wanted to make something people could have a good time to.”

While supporting Tom Jones, the Australian performer says he and his band were playing the song Let’s Go on stage, which led to a discussion about doing an album of favourite 80’s songs.

“There’s usually a song which acts as a gateway for a project or an idea,” he says. “I remember loving Let’s Go as a kid. I hope people don’t think we just cracked out the keyboards and went for it. We really wanted to look at the songs as if they had today’s technology then. It sounds energetic because we had a lot of fun playing all these songs.”

The album includes songs like Wham’s I’m Your Man, Style Council’s Shout It To The Top, Hall & Oats' You Make My Dreams, Adam Ant’s Goody Two Shoes and crisp horns on Come on Eileen from Dexys Midnight Runners. Instead of Dance Hall Days by Wang Chung, David opted for Let’s Go plus The Human League’s mournful Don’t You Want Me also gets a sassy remake.

“I always want to try and keep it interesting and not make the songs too obvious. I wanted to change things up and make sure you could dance to it too. If we couldn’t find a way through the song to make it feel and sound like that, then we started with another song. With a song like Come On Eileen, we brought some swing to it and it’s a monster version which still keeps the feel and has a lot of fun.

“Let’s forget about our problems for 12 tracks and let this be the antidote.”

Let’s Go is out now. David Campbell performs at Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on May 16, Geraldton’s Queens Park Theatre on May 17, May 18 at Perth Concert Hall and May 19 at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre.