Paulini & Tim Campbell On Lionising The Neon Nostalgia Of The ‘80s

Paulini and Tim Campbell may have still been kids during the 1980s, but there’s no escaping the huge cultural impact the era had on them, or pop culture the world over.

“I remember going and seeing Goonies, Gremlins, Footloose,” Tim told City Hub. “Whenever I hear Ghostbusters or The NeverEnding Story, Labyrinth — all these songs, it just takes me back to such a fantastic time on my BMX bike riding the school.”

It’s this sort of nostalgia for simpler times that the pair are trying to tap into on their Electrifying ‘80s tour, travelling across Australia between March to June next year, celebrating an era that defied societal expectation and blended sounds like never before.

“We want the audiences to enjoy themselves,” Paulini says. “We want to take them back to that time where they were young and everything was great, because there’s so much happening right now, today.”

A setlist of electrifying ‘80s tracks — where to even begin?

But where do you even start? Between Madonna, Bon Jovi, Donna Summer and Prince, the 1980s was so jam-packed with musical icons that it’s hard to decide which ones to focus on.

“We’re still trying to figure out what to do at this point, because there’s so many amazing songs,” Paulini laughed. “I’m definitely going to be performing Whitney Houston, because I basically grew up with her and Mariah Carey and Tina Turner.

“The Young Divas [had] two albums of ‘80s hits that were just remixed and redone. I can’t wait to get up and perform all those songs.”

The pair will be accompanied by an incredible live band, giving their performances that authentic edge, and allowing Tim and Paulini to work with the musicians themselves to fine-tune the tour, adding an extra special and unique flair to the shows.

“I know for me, nothing beats live music,” Tim said. “When we get together in a rehearsal, we’ll find things, different drum fills and patterns, and we can change things up as well.”

Sounds of the ‘80s have endured and evolved

So many of the songs and sounds of the eighties have endured through to today, with disco giving way to new wave influences and neon-tinted synth pop. It was the decade that solidified the impact of some of the most memorable divas in contemporary music. 

“These artists were basically iconic in every way. They had powerhouse vocals, and they sang with such conviction, and they lived it,” Paulini said. “And I think that’s the amazing thing that lives on in that music. That’s why we love it so much, because that type of storytelling doesn’t quite exist these days.”

However, as much Tim and Paulini love the music of the era, they say there are a few aesthetics of the eighties that won’t be making it on stage with them – namely, the spiral perms and boxy shoulder pads. 

“What we want to do is bring a fresh take to the ‘80s as well,” Tim said. “We’ve got some great images and videos that will bring back the eighties feel. But we want it to be a fresh thing. We don’t want to make it a tribute show as such, but it’s kind of more a celebration. Though we’re totally open to people who want to dress up!”