Hertfordshire-based singers Kim Wilde and Paul Young will star in a new online music series featuring live studio performances and exclusive interviews.
Chart-topping Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home) singer Paul Young, Kids in America star Kim Wilde, and contemporaries Toyah, Steve Harley and Chesney Hawkes have all been confirmed for That Was Then… This Is Now!, a new and innovative online music streaming show.
The weekly online programme created and produced by hitmaker Mike Stock, of Stock, Aitken and Waterman fame, and former BBC presenter and DJ Mike Read will feature live performances and interviews, with a business model that helps touring artists affected by the current lack of live shows generate income.
That Was Then… This Is Now! will arrive next month in a pay-per-view format, allowing for acts to share equally in the revenue.
The series, consisting of five editions, will be broadcast live at 7pm on Thursday evenings in a nod to the classic Top Of The Pops time slot.
Each episode of the series will feature multi-artist line-ups consisting of new and exclusive live studio performances shot in the highest 5k resolution, with presenters Mike Read and Sky TV’s Hayley Palmer, as well as interviews.
The first series of the show will feature artists such as Paul Young, who recently played a show with his Tex-Mex band Los Pacaminos at Hatfield House, Kim Wilde and her rock ‘n’ roll legend father Marty Wilde.
On being a part of the show, Codicote singer Kim Wilde said: “Stepping onto the set of ‘This is Now’ with Mike Stock and Mike Read felt simultaneously like taking a step back in time, and taking the first exciting step forward to the next chapter in pop.
“The pop loving public have been waiting for a show like this for a very long time, I’m so proud to be a part of its inception!”
Fellow Herts resident Paul Young said: “It was such a pleasure to be able to show both the old and the new; music never dies, it evolves.”
That Was Then… This Is Now! is produced independently by Mike Stock, who is best known for his work in the hit-making team Stock, Aitken and Waterman in the 80s and 90s.
On creating the show in order to support artists who rely every year on touring, Mike Stock said: “These artists are still making great music and we wish to showcase their classic hits alongside their still exciting new material.
“These are heritage acts who have been largely ignored by the government and have been cut off from any income this year.
“We hope to provide some financial assistance as well as giving audiences something of real high quality to enjoy.”
Alongside hosting the series, Mike Read joins Mike Stock in an executive role in the show’s creation.
Having been a broadcaster since 1976, he is best known for being a DJ with BBC Radio 1, and television host for music chart series Top Of The Pops, children’s show Saturday Superstore, and music panel game Pop Quiz.
Chart-topper Chesney Hawkes performs in the show.
The One and Only singer said: “I was actually quite emotional walking onto the TWTTIN set, it felt like an actual gig. You remember those right?
“Tales of yonder when we all used to gather and watch real people play live music from a thing called a stage.
“The show itself feels like a music time capsule reminiscent of TOTP back in the day.
“Thank you to the two Mikes for the opportunity of being involved in a project that feels special and authentic.
“I am genuinely excited to see all my contemporaries do their thing throughout the series.”
That Was Then… This Is Now! will be broadcast online via pay-per-view live streaming service TicketCo TV.
Its full HD quality and crystal-clear sound can be enjoyed by viewers on any device.
For full details on the broadcast visit www.thisisnow.tv.
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