Holly Johnson – Live Review – Scarborough Open Air Theatre
By Roger Crow, August 2026
I waited 40-plus years to see three of my favourite acts live, and when the opportunity arose, I grabbed it with both hands. But the 50-mile drive to Scarborough on Friday night was hampered by a mad dash to the venue.
Eventually I sit down while Mrs Crow goes in search of food, and less than 10 seconds later, Heaven 17 begin their set. ‘We Don’t Need This Fascist Groove Thang’ was relevant in the early eighties when they started making waves in the music industry. Now it seems more relevant than ever. I was lucky enough to have a chat with frontman Glen Gregory years ago, and probably conveyed how magnificent a track ‘Temptation’ is, but live, it’s one of THE greatest experiences any eighties teen could wish for.
And on a normal night, that would be the high point. But this is no normal night.
“Performed to the delight of thousands”
Fellow Sheffield music legends Martin Fry and ABC follow, and again the classics are performed to the delight of thousands. When Fry belts out the likes of ‘Poison Arrow’, and ‘The Look of Love’, Christmas may as well have arrived early.
And still this is the warm-up, on a night when we’re glad of slightly cooler temperatures.
And then, a little after 9pm, the main attraction. Holly Johnson, to my amazement, has never played Scarborough, and I did wonder whether 40-plus years of performing had left his vocals shattered. Not a bit of it. The wit was drier than some of Blighty’s fields and THAT voice.
“Time warp of memories”
When Welcome to the Pleasuredome begins, I’m 16 again, and transported through an incredible time warp of memories.
The first time I experienced ‘Relax’ on Annie Nightingale’s Sunday night Radio One show, it was like nothing I’d ever heard before or since. Super producer Trevor Horn, having worked his magic with ABC, helped shape the phenomenal Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and at the tip of that spear was Holly. (Horn’s autobiography, by the way, is incredible).
On Top of the Pops, Johnson was like a Gerry Anderson puppet; every movement as captivating as the last, and those vocals, whether pre-recorded or not for TOTP, were to die for.
Inevitably in 2026, he and his superb band, including a guitarist who looks like Matt Berry, and a photogenic keyboard player who can fly a plane apparently, leave the best to last. I’ve already been knocked out by covers of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’, and Edwin Starr’s ‘War’. (Everyone’s verdict: still good for absolutely nothing. Say it again).
And the rest of the tracks are equally superb. ‘Americanos’, ‘Love Train’, and songs you may never have heard before, but demand post-gig investigation.
“Musical warlock”
And then it begins. The sound at Scarborough OAT is among the best you’ll hear anywhere, and there are times I have to remind myself this is happening in front of my eyes. August, 2026, and thousands of people, all with their own story of the eighties, are in unison. It’s the ultimate nightclub experience, and my rictus Cheshire Cat grin just won’t go away.
Looking like a more seasoned Alan Cumming, and dressed like a basketball player from the waist down, Holly works his magic like some musical warlock. ‘Relax’ and ‘Two Tribes’ are the experience that any music fan should experience once in their lifetime. The thumping bass, and those vocals transport us all to Hollywood and beyond, where both tracks were used in so-so films like Robin Williams’ Toys and the bizarre Body Double.
Patrick Allen’s 1970s Protect and Survive/“Air attack warning” sample was a soundtrack to millions of eighties kids growing up in an era of nuclear annihilation, and ‘Two Tribes’ was the pressure release valve that helped many cope with the era.
“Beautiful”
And just when we think things can’t get any better, after the encore, Holly returns to the stage with one of the most beautiful renditions of ‘The Power of Love’ you’ve ever heard.
If ‘War’ and ‘Two Tribes’ were an assault on the senses, this is a tonic for the soul. Quite rightly wearing a crown, Johnson delivers one of the greatest Christmas songs ever recorded as a lullaby for thousands of gig-goers who need calming down after the adrenaline rush of what came before.
It’s the perfect epilogue to an outstanding gig, and for one delighted fan of all three acts, proof that if you wait long enough for something, dreams finally do come true.
Images: Cuffe and Taylor
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast
