Wikipedia

Jack Up The Summer Festival

Jack Up The Summer is a music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. The festival was first held in August 2013 and helps fundraise for a range of local charities and good causes. Originally called "Jack Up The 80s", the festival showcases bands and solo artists that had success in the 1980s. In 2019 the name was changed[1] to allow for a greater variety of acts, with household name artists from the 1990s and occasionally 2000s added to the expanding line-up.

Jack Up The Summer
Jack Up The Summer Festival logo
Genre
Dates6–8 August 2021
Location(s)North Fairlee Farm, Newport, Isle of Wight, England
Years active2013–present
Websitehttps://jackupthesummer.co.uk

As well as music, the site also features a vintage funfair, kids workshops and attractions, local caterers and trade stalls. In-keeping with Now That's What I Call Music! a series of compilation albums launched in the 1980s featuring a range of popular recording artists, each festival year is awarded a consecutive volume number.

Jack Up The 80s vol1 2013

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The first Jack Up festival was held on the same site as the Isle of Wight Garlic Festival in Newchurch on 10 and 11 August 2013 and featured Heaven 17 and Bad Manners. Other acts on the bill were Toyah, Katrina & The Waves, Junior Giscombe, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Doctor and The Medics, Matchbox, The Lambrettas, Bootleg Blondie (a tribute to the American rock band Blondie), and The Hoosiers. Although the latter are not synonymous with the music of the 80s, they were said to help widen out the appeal of the festival for younger attendees.[2]

The event was held to celebrate 25 years of Wight Crystal water and to raise money for this Isle of Wight charity which to fund care services, employment and life-enhancing opportunities for people with a range of disabilities.[3]

Jack Up The 80s vol2 2014

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The second Jack Up festival was held on 9 and 10 August 2014. The headline acts were Imagination (feat. Leee John) and Bad Manners. Other acts on the bill were The Blow Monkeys, former Kajagoogoo lead singer Limahl, Hazel O’Connor, Hazell Dean, Tight Fit, Jona Lewie, Janet Kay, Tenpole Tudor, Doctor and The Medics, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers and Bucks Fizz (The Fizz). DJ, radio and television presenter Pat Sharp hosted the main stage.[4]

Actor John Altman, best known for playing Nick Cotton in the BBC soap opera Eastenders made a guest appearance on the Sunday and sung the 1985 hit “Summer of ‘69” made famous by Bryan Adams.

Jack Up The 80s vol3 2015

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The third Jack Up festival was held on 8 and 9 August 2015. The headline acts were ABC and Go West. Other acts on the bill were The Christians, From The Jam, Jaki Graham, Sonia, Nathan Moore of Brother Beyond, Phil Fearon, Bucks Fizz (The Fizz), Complete Madness a tribute to ska/pop group Madness and Abba Chique (a tribute to Swedish pop group ABBA). TV presenter Timmy Mallett carried out a live rendition of the word-association game Mallett's Mallet made famous in the 1980s and early 90s by the children's television series Wacaday. Pat Sharp played a DJ set on the Sunday. David Van Day formally of 1980s pop vocal duo Dollar, made a guest appearance on the Saturday.[5]

The event was sponsored by Barratt Homes and continued to support Island charity Wight Crystal.[6]

Jack Up The 80s vol4 2016

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The fourth Jack Up festival was held on 13 and 14 August 2016. The headline acts were Five Star and Leo Sayer. Other acts on the bill were Paul Young, Johnny Hates Jazz, London Beat, Bad Manners, Owen Paul, Angie Brown, Phil Fearon, Nathan Moore of Brother Beyond and Abba Chique (a tribute to Swedish pop group ABBA). Isle of Wight bands Ska’d For Life and High School Never Ends opened the show on both days.

Funk jazz outfit Light Of The World provided a previously un-billed bonus set on the Saturday.[7]

Jack Up The 80s vol5 2017

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The fifth Jack Up festival was held on 11, 12 and 13 August 2017. The event moved site 5 miles down the road from Newchurch, to Smallbrook Stadium in Ryde. In doing so it provided sponsorship to the Wightlink Warriors speedway team[8] and was located in closer proximity to cross Solent ferry services which bought benefits to mainland visitors.[9]

The move allowed for the edition of a third night and a later licence[10] as well as enabling provision for a second stage for young Island talent. Programmed by students from Platform One College of Music, the stage featured a range of music from acoustic acts, tribute acts and original bands.[11][12]

The headline acts were Jason Donovan and Alexander O’Neal. Other acts on the bill were Nik Kershaw, The Real Thing, Bucks Fizz (The Fizz), From The Jam[13] and Bootleg Blondie. Paving the way for a gradual move into the 1990s, S Club[14][15] and Right Said Fred[16][17] also appeared as part of the line-up. Pat Sharp played a DJ set on the Sunday. Island bands Ska’d For Life and Derek Sandy were first to perform.

The Friday night offered an optional “Opening Party” featuring Romanian singing duo The Cheeky Girls[18][19] and Abba Chique.[20][21]

Jack Up The 80s vol6 2018

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The sixth Jack Up festival was held on 10, 11 and 12 August 2018. The Friday night Opening Party featured The Magic of Motown stage show,[22] a theatre production which paid tribute to the back catalogue of hits launched on Motown Records throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

The headline acts for the main weekend were Leo Sayer[23][24][25] and Shalamar.[26] Other acts on the bill were T’Pau,[27] Chesney Hawkes,[28] Martin Kemp (DJ set),[29][30] Shakatak,[31] Jaki Graham,[32][33] Nathan Moore of Brother Beyond[34][35] and Toyah.[36]

Boy band Five[37][38] and electronic dance music duo Phats & Small continued the festival's moderate progression into the 1990s and 2000s. Pat Sharp and Wave 105’s Steve Power both played DJ sets. Ska band Orange Street kicked off proceedings on the Saturday with T.Rextasy a tribute to English rock band T.Rex opening the show by paying homage to the Glam Rock era on the Sunday.

BBC Radio 1 DJ and Top of the Pops presenter Mike Read introduced a number of the acts.

The festival supported Prostate Cancer UK as its nominated Charity of the Year to raise awareness about the disease.[39] Local man Ian Gregory pledged to pedal 731 miles over the weekend[40] in an attempt to travel the equivalent length of the country from the Jack Up site in Ryde to John O'Groats in Scotland.[41]

Jack Up The Summer vol7 2019

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The seventh Jack Up festival was held on 9, 10 and 11 August 2019. The event moved site from Ryde, to the Island’s capital town and central location of Newport. It was at this point the name evolved from “Jack Up The 80s” to “Jack Up The Summer” with organisers confirming the 80s spirit would always remain at the heart of the event.[42] The festival now takes place in the same location the campsite for the Isle of Wight Festival[43] which is staged two months prior.

The Friday night Opening Party featured Bad Manners and Island band Ska’d For Life performing as part of “Ultimate Ska Wars.”

The Saturday and Sunday were billed as being “80’s Day” and “90’s Day” respectively. Unseasonable gale-force winds effecting events across the whole of the UK,[44] meant that officials deemed the site unsafe to open on the Saturday,[45] however despite damage caused by the shift in wind direction, the stage was successfully rebuilt overnight to allow the show to continue as planned once the adverse weather conditions had subsided on the Sunday.[46][47]

Appearing acts included East 17,[48][49] 911,[50][51] Republica,[52][53] Space,[54][55] Phats & Small, Livin’ Joy and Noasis (a tribute to English Rock band Oasis). Local band Vote Pedro opened the days live music proceedings. Those artists unable to perform on the Saturday were subsequently rebooked and announced for the following year.[56]

For the first time the festival introduced a fancy dress theme and played host to the Island's biggest ever unicorn party.[57] The event supported various Woman's Institute's from across the Isle of Wight via the provision of a tea tent enabling them to raise valuable funds for their charity, whilst giving something back to the local community.[58][59]

Jack Up The Summer vol8 2020

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The eighth Jack Up festival was due to be held on 7, 8 and 9 August 2020. It's nominated Charity of the Year was announced as being Beaulieu Respite and Children's Home,[60][61] to which lead singer and bassist of the Isle of Wight band Level 42 Mark King is patron.

With headline act Heather Small[62][63] and a variety of dance and tribute acts[64] plus Club Tropicana fancy dress theme having already been confirmed[65] the festival subsequently had to be postponed in May 2020 on account of the Coronavirus pandemic.[66]

Both Heather Small and Heaven 17 have been confirmed to headline the event, which is rescheduled to take place on 6, 7 and 8 August 2021.[67] A range of additional acts have also been revealed,[68] with the vast majority of the original 2020 line-up having been rolled over to the following year.[69][70]

In November 2020 Event Organiser Sarah Moss was quoted in an article alongside the Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely highlighting the importance of festivals and events to the Island's tourism economy and the devastating impact of COVID-19 on this socially and economically significant sector.[71] On 9 December 2020 organisers were reported as having met with the Minister of State for Culture to outline the required measures to enable small-medium-sized independent festivals like Jack Up The Summer to return safely in 2021.[72]

Spin-off events

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A series of retro spin-off events from the festival are staged throughout the course of the year to celebrate the music of alternative decades:

Event Name Featuring Dates Location
Ticket to Ryde[73]

(60s themed community event)

Orange Street

The Jammers

Various local MOD, SKA,

Two-Tone, Trojan,

Northern Soul bands

22–24 Aug 2014

28–30 Aug 2015

26–28 Aug 2016

25–27 Aug 2017

24–26 Aug 2018

23–25 Aug 2019

Eastern Gardens, Ryde

Isle of Wight

Jack Up Christmas[74][75][76]

(80s and 90s themed party nights)

Urban Cookie Collective

Dario G

Bucks Fizz (The Fizz)

22–23 Nov 2019 Lower Hyde Holiday Park, Shanklin

Isle of Wight

Jack Up The 70s[77][78][79]

(70s themed party night)

The Zoots 22 Feb 2020 Lower Hyde Holiday Park, Shanklin

Isle of Wight

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "New venue, new name for the hugely popular Jack Up the 80s festival on the Isle of Wight". Isle of Wight County Press.
  2. ^ "Jack Up The 80s hits all the right notes on the Isle of Wight - eFestivals.co.uk". www.efestivals.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Jack Up The 80's - In association with www.wightcrystal.org.uk". Wayback Machine. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  4. ^ "At Jack Up The 80s nostalgia is almost as good as it used to be". eFestivals.
  5. ^ "Jack Up The 80s has it all - a great venue, excellent bands and a fantastic vibe". eFestivals.
  6. ^ "BARRATT HOMES IS HELPING TO JACK UP THE 80S". Island Echo.
  7. ^ "Good vibes and Bad Manners in the sun at Jack Up The 80s". eFestivals.
  8. ^ "JACK UP THE 80S TO SPONSOR THE WARRIORS". Island Echo.
  9. ^ "WIGHTLINK TO SUPPORT JACK UP THE 80S". Island Echo.
  10. ^ "STAY LATE AT JACK UP THE 80S WITH WIGHTLINK". Island Echo.
  11. ^ "Platform One joins Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  12. ^ "PLATFORM ONE COLLEGE OF MUSIC WELCOMED TO JACK UP THE 80s". Island Echo.
  13. ^ "Popular act to return to Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  14. ^ "S Club to perform at Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  15. ^ "S CLUB TO BRING THEIR PARTY TO JACK UP THE 80s". Island Echo.
  16. ^ "RIGHT SAID FRED JOIN JACK UP THE 80S LINE UP". Island Echo.
  17. ^ "BIG INTERVIEW - Richard Fairbrass of Right Said Fred: 'We're in the music business, not the celebrity business'". The News (Portsmouth).
  18. ^ "Cheeky Girls to perform at Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  19. ^ "JACK UP THE 80s MAKE A CHEEKY ANNOUNCEMENT". Island Echo.
  20. ^ "RETRO VIBES FILL SMALLBROOK FOR JACK UP THE 80S". Island Echo.
  21. ^ "Jack Up The 80s provides nostalgia on demand". eFestivals.
  22. ^ "The Isle of Wight's most fluorescent festival Jack Up The 80s kicks off tonight". Isle of Wight County Press.
  23. ^ "Leo Sayer to return to Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  24. ^ "LEO SAYER JOINS JACK UP THE 80S LINE-UP". Island Echo.
  25. ^ "BIG INTERVIEW - Leo Sayer: 'I'm surprised at my own ambition sometimes, it keeps me on fire'". The News (Portsmouth).
  26. ^ "Shalamar to perform at Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  27. ^ "JACK UP THE 80s FIRST LINE UP ANNOUNCEMENT CONFIRMED". Island Echo.
  28. ^ "Chesney Hawkes joins line-up for Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  29. ^ "Martin Kemp added to Jack Up The 80s line up". Isle of Wight County Press.
  30. ^ "FAN FAVOURITE MARTIN KEMP WILL STILL APPEAR AT JACK UP THE 80S". Island Echo.
  31. ^ "Shakatak to perform at Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  32. ^ "Soul star Jaki Graham to perform at Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  33. ^ "JAKI SET TO JACK UP THE 80S". Island Echo.
  34. ^ "Brother Beyond's Nathan Moore to perform at Jack Up The 80s". Isle of Wight County Press.
  35. ^ "BROTHER BEYOND'S NATHAN MOORE TO MAKE RETURN VISIT". Island Echo.
  36. ^ "POP PUNK PRINCESS TOYAH WILLCOX JOINS JACK UP THE 80s LINE UP". Island Echo.
  37. ^ "Boy band Five to perform at Jack Up The 80s festival". Isle of Wight County Press.
  38. ^ "5IVE TO PERFORM AT NEXT SUMMER'S JACK UP THE 80S". Island Echo.
  39. ^ "Jack Up The 80s music festival to support Prostate Cancer UK". Isle of Wight County Press.
  40. ^ "JACK UP THE 80s JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST PROSTATE CANCER". Island Echo.
  41. ^ "Despite challenging weather, Jack Up The 80s still shines as a great little festival". eFestivals.
  42. ^ "New venue, new name for the hugely popular Jack Up the 80s festival on the Isle of Wight". Isle of Wight County Press.
  43. ^ "NEW NAME AND VENUE FOR JACK UP THE 80S". Island Echo.
  44. ^ "Weekend washout as UK faces 60mph winds and thunderstorms". Metro (British newspaper).
  45. ^ "Jack Up the Summer postponed — event will not go ahead today". Isle of Wight County Press.
  46. ^ "Jack Up the Summer will go ahead today after stage rebuilt". Isle of Wight County Press.
  47. ^ "GATES WILL RE-OPEN AT 11AM SAY JACK UP THE SUMMER ORGANISERS". Island Echo.
  48. ^ "1990s boy band East 17 to perform at Jack Up The Summer". Isle of Wight County Press.
  49. ^ "90s BOY BAND SMASH TO JACK UP THE SUMMER". Isle of Wight County Press.
  50. ^ "Boy band 911 announced for Jack Up The Summer". Isle of Wight County Press.
  51. ^ "90s POP PIN-UPS 911 SET TO GET YOUR BODYSHAKIN'". Island Echo.
  52. ^ "Republica announced for Jack Up The Summer". Isle of Wight County Press.
  53. ^ "90's POP-PUNK BAND REPUBLICA ARE BACK & READY TO GO". Island Echo.
  54. ^ "'FEMALE OF THE SPECIES' ACT SPACE TO APPEAR AT JACK UP THE SUMMER". Island Echo.
  55. ^ "Indie-pop outfit Space to appear at Jack Up The Summer". Isle of Wight Observer.
  56. ^ "Heaven 17 is first act announced for next year's Jack Up The Summer festival". Isle of Wight County Press.
  57. ^ "JACK UP THE SUMMER TO HOST THE ISLAND'S BIGGEST EVER UNICORN PARTY". Island Echo.
  58. ^ "WIND AND RAIN DOESN'T DETER NEON-CLAD REVELLERS AT JACK UP THE SUMMER". Island Echo.
  59. ^ "The untypical British Summer fails to thwart Jack Up The Summer". eFestivals.
  60. ^ "Jack Up the Summer reveals its charity of the year — Isle of Wight children's charity Beaulieu Respite". Isle of Wight County Press.
  61. ^ "JACK UP ANNOUNCES ITS FAMILY-FRIENDLY CHARITY OF THE YEAR FOR 2020". Island Echo.
  62. ^ "One Night in Heaven! Heather Small to headline Jack Up The Summer 2020". Isle of Wight County Press.
  63. ^ "SUNDAY HEADLINER ANNOUNCED FOR JACK UP THE SUMMER 2020". Island Echo.
  64. ^ "Tributes to Queen and Take That signed for Jack Up The Summer". Isle of Wight County Press.
  65. ^ "Trio of '90s dance acts announced for Isle of Wight's Jack Up The Summer". Isle of Wight County Press.
  66. ^ "Jack Up The Summer Festival 2020 cancelled due to coronavirus - full ticket information". The News (Portsmouth).
  67. ^ "Jack Up The Summer postponed: M People's Heather Small, Heaven 17 headline 2021". Isle of Wight County Press.
  68. ^ "Jack Up The Summer announces Phats and Small for 2021 festival". Isle of Wight County Press.
  69. ^ "Jack Up The Summer organisers 'completely overwhelmed' with support from returning artists for 2021". Isle of Wight County Press.
  70. ^ "ARTISTS RALLY ROUND TO SUPPORT JACK UP IN 2021". Island Echo.
  71. ^ "IMPACT ON FESTIVALS AND EVENTS HAS BEEN DEVASTATING SAYS ISLAND'S MP". Island Echo.
  72. ^ "Culture minister gives festival organisers cause for hope". Isle of Wight County Press.
  73. ^ "Ticket to Ryde Facebook page". Facebook.
  74. ^ "Jack Up Events announces first Christmas nights". Isle of Wight County Press.
  75. ^ "JACK UP BRING THE FIZZ TO THEIR RETRO CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHTS". Island Echo.
  76. ^ "Jack Up Christmas full of fizz, fun and fluorescent colour". Isle of Wight County Press.
  77. ^ "JACK UP INVITES PARTY-GOERS TO GET THEIR GROOVE ON THIS FEBRUARY". Island Echo.
  78. ^ "Groovy! Jack Up The 70s is coming — and County Press has limited edition discounted tickets". Isle of Wight County Press.
  79. ^ "Fancy dress in full force at packed-out Jack Up The 70s". Isle of Wight County Press.
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