Bishop’s Stortford-born Bill Sharpe, who is no stranger to the Cambridge music scene, having performed at a number of the city’s venues over the years – as well as at several Cambridge University May Balls – is coming back for not one but two upcoming gigs.
The first of these is at the Cambridge Junction on 24 May, where fans will get the chance to see two acts for the price of one, as 80s jazz-funk favourites Shakatak and six-piece soul collective Red Express, both of which feature Bill, take the stage.
The second show will see Red Express, whose many Cambridge appearances included a support slot for Elvis Costello at Trinity College back in the day, performing at Strawberry Fair on 1 June – for the first time in nearly 50 years.
“Our singer Dennis [Andrews] is flying over from America; it’s not the original line-up of Red Express but it’s pretty much,” says Bill, speaking from his home near Bury St Edmunds.
He notes that Red Express’s guitarist Keith Winter is also a founding member of Shakatak, which Bill, the band’s main songwriter, formed in 1980 and whose current incarnation boasts fellow original members, Jill Saward (vocals), Roger Odell (drums) and George Anderson (bass).
Long-time guitarist Alan Wormald, who replaced Keith Winter and who was in Shakatak for nearly 30 years, after Winter was forced to quit music through illness, sadly died in 2023.
In an interesting twist of fate, Keith, now recovered, has since returned to the fold.
“So Red Express will do about 45 minutes to an hour, of all the songs from the album that we released last year [59th Street],” explains Bill, “and then Shakatak will do an hour or so – so it’s a two-header kind of thing.”
This year, Strawberry Fair is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“I think we [Red Express] did nearly the first one,” observes Bill, who has also worked with the likes of Gary Numan and ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke of Motörhead, “about 1975, 1976 – so it’s a nice story of Red Express, how we basically played all around Cambridge, and we did play Strawberry Fair…
“And then all this time later, we’re going to play it again, which is a great thing to do. So I’m looking forward to that because it was a lot of fun all those years ago and I think some of us can remember it, just about!”
Bill describes Red Express as “more of an underground cult thing”, while Shakatak on the other hand have enjoyed great success all over the world, with hits such as Night Birds, Easier Said Than Done, Dark Is the Night and Down on the Street.
Any Cambridge-based fans of Red Express are advised to go and see them this time around.
“To be honest, I don’t think after Strawberry Fair, I can’t see Red Express doing any more shows,” says Bill.
“So if people did want to come along to Strawberry Fair, or the Junction, it will be the last time… it won’t be the last time to see Shakatak, but it will be the last time to see Red Express.”
Shakatak, who when I spoke to Bill had just returned from a three-week European tour, released a new album, Eyes of the World, in September last year.
Expect to hear songs from it, as well as some 80s classics, when they appear at the Cambridge Junction, alongside Red Express, on Friday, 24 May.
*\[Read more: *[*Soul band Red Express return with new album, 59th Street\]*](https://premium.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/whats-on/soul-band-red-express-return-with-new-album-59th-street-9324273/)
Tickets, priced £30, are available from junction.co.uk.
Red Express will then take the stage – for what will probably be the last time – at Strawberry Fair on Saturday, 1 June. For more information, go to strawberry-fair.org.uk.
For more on Red Express and Shakatak, go to redexpress.net and shakatak.com.
