THE REWIND FESTIVAL have announced the bill of their popular Henley-on-Thames event which will take place over the weekend of August 19th-21st and will feature live sets from HOLLY JOHNSON, THE HUMAN LEAGUE, THE VILLAGE PEOPLE, KIM WILDE, BILLY OCEAN, ALI CAMPBELL, BANANARAMA, EARTH WIND AND FIRE EXPERIENCE, HAIRCUT 100, AVERAGE WHITE BAND, HOWARD JONES, NIK KERSHAW, HUE AND CRY, CANDI STATON, ABC, GO WEST, FICTION FACTORY, TOYAH, THE REAL THING, CAPTAIN SENSIBLE, THE ORIGINAL BUCKS FIZZ, BROTHER BEYOND, KATRINA (OF KATRINA AND THE WAVES) and CHINA CRISIS.

CYNDI LAUPER will play the Cornbury Festival in Oxfordshire on July 1st.

SQUEEZE will play a special live show at London's Royal Albert Hall on March 22nd as part of a week of shows in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. The Feeling will join Squeeze on the 22nd while other shows in the series will feature artists as diverse as Biffy Clyro, Roger Daltry, Editors, Beady Eye and Tinie Tempah.

BLANK & JONES will release four compilations of artist remixes on February 11th, each featuring a selection of key remixes from that artist's career. The first of the So80s Artist Editions will be dedicated to OMD, ULTRAVOX, HEAVEN 17 and KAJAGOOGOO but will initially only be available in Germany (although they are available to ship internationally from Amazon Germany. See NEWS for the tracklisting of each album.

DURAN DURAN have unveiled the first of their promised European tour dates with eleven UK dates announced for May and June. See GIGS for all the dates.

KILLING JOKE have announced shows in Nottingham, Manchester and London in March and April, see GIGS for all the dates.

SIMPLE MINDS will follow their UK Forest Tour with more dates in July, including shows in Belgium and Germany as well as a special Scottish show with BIG COUNTRY in support. See GIGS for all the dates.

BANANARAMA are to play cameo roles in an upcoming episode of the TV drama 'Benidorm'.

THOMAS DOLBY will release a new EP, entitled 'Oceana', on March 28th. The release will precede a new album 'A Map Of The Floating City' which will be released in the summer, and a tour is expected at the same time. The three-track EP will also feature guest vocals from EDDI READER while the album will feature a line-up of guest collaborators that will include MARK KNOPFLER and Regina Spektor and Imogen Heap. See NEWS for the full EP tracklisting.

SONIA has announced dates at Butlins resorts around the country throughout the coming year, and will also be headlining a special 80s show '80's Night at the Bowl' in Swindon on may 21st, on a bill that will also feature sets from TIGHT FIT, LIMAHL and HAZELL DEAN. See GIGS for all the dates.

HOWARD JONES will release a special remix package on March 21st featuring a remastered version of 'The 12" Album' alongside the US remix collection 'Action Replay', also remastered, and a further 11 tracks across a 3-CD boxset. The individually numbered limited edition set will be available for pre-order from Jones' website from Feb 21st. See NEWS for the full boxset tracklisting.

PET SHOP BOYS will release the music from their forthcoming ballet 'The Most Incredible Thing' as an album on March 14th. Performed by the duo alongside the Wroclaw Score Orchestra the release coincides with the opening run of the opera itself at London's Sadler's Wells Theatre between March 17th and 26th.

CULTURE CLUB will reform in 2012 according to BOY GEORGE who is concentrating on his upcoming HERE AND NOW shows and solo album 'Ordinary Alien' this year, 'as a precursor for what I'm doing with Culture Club' according to a BBC interview. Also on the cards are 'a proper, huge worldwide tour. And a new album'.

JIMMY SOMERVILLE has released a CD EP 'Bright Thing', containing four brand new tracks produced, written and arranged by Jimmy and producer John Winfield. The tracks are also available on two download bundles which will be available online from February 7th, one featuring eight tracks (the original four, plus four radio edits), the other a collection of four remixes. See NEWS for the full EP tracklisting.

A special thanks to: www.remembertheeighties.com