The Eighties are back and Raileasy is offering a big prize of a meet and greet with singer Tony Hadley.

TONY Hadley has just finished a reunion tour with Spandau Ballet and is midway through The Real 80s Summer Party gigs which reaches Manchester next month.

Hadley talks to 7DAYS about the impact of the era and pulling together the stage shows.

And one lucky person will have the chance to win a meet-and-greet, sponsored by Raileasy, the discount rail booking website, with Hadley when the Heaton Park event takes place on Saturday, August 14.

Are you enjoying the 80s Party Night Tour?

It’s called the Summer Sessions and yes we are all have a great time. The line up for the shows is myself, Rick Astley, Martin Fry of ABC and Peter and Richard from Go West. We have all known each other for years, and for me it’s nice to come out from the Spandau Ballet tour, and get straight out with my own band playing some beautiful country houses and having a good laugh.

Do you know any of the other artists performing from the Eighties and were you arch rivals with any?

We have all been friends for years.

Any rivalry back in the day was more for the Press than anything serious. I was always a huge Duran Duran fan,and have always said that if there was any other band back then that I could have been in, it was DD.

Do you miss the Eighties?

The Eighties was obviously a good time for me but no I don’t miss it.

How have the gigs gone so far?

We had played two shows, Borde Hill Gardens in Haywards Heath and The Quarry in Shrewsbury. Both of them were great nights. Borde Hill was a beautiful summer’s evening, we were all a bit nervous as it was the first show, but everybody seemed happy.

The Quarry on Friday went really well. We had Mica Paris opening, followed by Howard Jones, then the Westies, ABC, Rick and myself. The sets worked well, but and we had to extend the stage time as originally we were scheduled to do a three-hour show, but when it came down to it we actually played for an extra 50 minutes.

What are the crowds like – do they all dress up?

The audience is a real mix; families, groups of friends, all ages. Some of them dress up, not many. Most of them bring their picnics and make a real evening of it.

How do you pick the songs you perform?

Well I have to do True, Gold and Barricades, but aside from that I just pick songs that I think the audience will like, and I will enjoy singing. My set has a couple of old songs from Roxy Music and Hall and Oates, and new songs from The Killers and Kaiser Chiefs.

Do you perform any duets on the night with other artists?

Yes myself and Rick do Boys of Summer, That’s Life and a couple of others. Myself and Peter Cox sing Family Man, and the three of us sing Girls In Their Summer Clothes and I Predict A Riot.

If you were offered discounts on train fares to your gigs, a much more environmentally friendly way to travel – would you use the train?

To be honest I do like driving, but over the past year with Spandau we have taken a few train journeys in the UK, and also in Spain and Italy so it has been interesting comparing.

Raileasy, the discount rail booking website, has teamed up with IML concerts to offer £5 off tickets, at a number of fantastic gigs this summer. There are also three pairs of tickets per concert to be won if you sign up for the raileasy newsletter.

Full details available at raileasy.co.uk.

You can contact the IML box office on 0845-4 961-962.

Example of Raileasy saving: Alnmouth or Morpeth rail station to Manchester Piccadilly, single fare (£15.50) 71 per cent discount, return fare (£31) 53 per cent discount.

To be in the hat for a pair of tickets for the 80s Party Night Tour at Manchester on August 14, including economy rail fare and a meet and greet with Tony Hadley, tell us which football team he supports. Put your answer on a postcard together with your address and phone number and send it to: Tony Hadley Competition, 7DAYS, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF. Normal Newsquest North-East competiton rules apply. The winning entry will be drawn on Monday.

■ The Real 80s Summer Party, at Heaton Park, Manchester, on August 14, features Tony Hadley, Rick Astley, Belinda Carlisle, ABC and Go West!