Brit Award winner Alison Moyet triumphs with last minute headliner show at Lytham Festival

Iconic pop chanteuse Alison Moyet came to the aid of the party with a passionate set at Lytham Festival after headline act Tears for Fears were forced to pull out at the last minute.
By Tim Gavell
Published 10th Jul 2022, 08:52 GMT
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The Brit Award winner, whose band itself faced disruption after bouts of Covid in recent weeks, showed no signs of nerves, stepping up with a powerful performance to take the headline slot at short notice.

But with a catalogue of hits, a winning smile and a healthy dose of self-effacement, she won the audience over immediately.

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Opening the show was the wonderful Natalie Imbruglia with a bouncy feel good set including Torn and Shiver getting the crowd on their feet on Lytham Green, before Ms Moyet took to the stage.

Alison Moyet headlining the Lytham Festival at short notice, put on a brave and powerful showAlison Moyet headlining the Lytham Festival at short notice, put on a brave and powerful show
Alison Moyet headlining the Lytham Festival at short notice, put on a brave and powerful show

Looking svelte and stylish, Alison’s rich, bluesy, contralto voice has lost none of its power despite her 61 years and the songs, from the early Yazoo days to her current solo career, lifted the festival audience on a gloriously sunny evening on the Fylde coast.

Highlights included Nobody’s Diary, Beautiful Gun, the classic Only You, and a lovely version of the Lightning Seeds song My Best Days which she originally recorded with Ian Broudie on his Jollification album.

Her band were tight and talented, showing professionalism as they extended what was supposed to be just a support set, before Tears for Fears star Curt Smith injured his ribs and had to cancel, into an uplifting evening of electro torch songs.

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Moyet’s delightful character, like a less sweary Adele, won through as she explained how they worked to boost the set list.

Alison Moyet quickly won over the Lytham Festival audience with a string of pop hitsAlison Moyet quickly won over the Lytham Festival audience with a string of pop hits
Alison Moyet quickly won over the Lytham Festival audience with a string of pop hits

She said: “We bashed together this acoustic thing in the dressing room while we were warming up. Got the old lady pants on, let’s see what happens!”

Needless to say it was brilliant. But she too was not immune to mishaps - she insisted on repeating her classic hit All Cried Out after she got lost in the moment first time and forgot a verse. As she said: “We all need a little divine intervention. Thank you so much for being so lovely, I want to give you all a hug!”

The set ended with the classic Yazoo track, Don’t Go, which is exactly how her audience felt as she signed off on a dramatic night.