FOR most people, the 80s ended when they threw out their leg warmers, Sony Walkmans and Amstrad computers.

But Go West have been reliving the era in which they made their name and their hits since the turn of the 21st century.

Brit Award winners Peter Cox and Richard Drummie have been doing the 80s revival shows for 16 years.

And you will soon be able to hear the likes of We Close Our Eyes, Call Me and King of Wishful Thinking at Bank Park when the duo visit the town alongside Nik Kershaw and T'Pau for Warrington Festival on September 16.

Richard said: "People dress up and we do our hits and so does everyone else so it’s really like an 80s jukebox."

The 57-year-old also told Weekend that it feels humbling that Go West's songs still mean something to people three decades on.

"It’s amazing," Richard added.

"We were never that ambitious or I would be calling you from my yacht. We always just wanted to do well enough to make another record.

"But, for example, it was the public who voted us the best newcomer at the Brit Awards many moons ago. It is humbling and god bless everyone who has supported us over the years.

"It’s a dream come true in that I’ve been able to do what I love for more than 30 years."

But Richard admitted it also feels surreal to effectively be living in a time warp.

"We toured Australia with Nik Kershaw last year and I used to jibe him on stage by saying: ‘I was a big fan of yours when I was boy’.

"But it’s true. I can clearly remember listening to a track called Know How in my brother’s flat in 1984 and playing it flat out on his new system.

"To go from that to standing next to Nik singing Wouldn’t It Be Good and I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me is a gas, as Keith Richards might say."

Peter and Richard, who found each other through their Free-inspired bands Bodie and Free Agent, were trying to get a record deal under the name Cox and Drummie before they were discovered by LA music industry veteran Ron Fair.

Rebranding themselves as Go West, they then became an overnight success when their debut single, We Close Our Eyes, was released in 1985 and reached reached number five in the UK charts. Their top 10 album soon followed.

"We jumped onto what was a very fast conveyor belt," said Richard.

"I don’t think we had a day off for most of that year. We were flying to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and all around Europe and America.

"It was just like a whirlwind. We did Top of the Pops six or seven times. Every week a new box got ticked.

"All these dreams – things like being on Radio 1, being on American Bandstand and I think we were one of the first English bands to get on Soul Train.

"We did have fun but it did get a bit much by the end. We just fell out of this hurricane onto the floor.

"That’s why we took our time over the second album because we knew that treadmill would just start all over again."

You may also know of Go West thanks to King of Wishful Thinking which famously appeared on Pretty Woman.

It was a huge hit, becoming one of the most played songs in America in 1990.

But Richard admitted he did not want to be involved with the film due a mix-up – looking at the wrong box, someone told him the film was going to be called 3,000 (the amount the band were being paid for the week).

He added: "I thought it was a science fiction film and nobody knew Julia Roberts at that point so I didn’t want to do it. I lost the toss fortunately."

In fact, Go West have been featured in many film soundtracks including Rocky IV, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and White Men Can't Jump.

More recently, they contributed to the soundtrack to the Eddie the Eagle film.

The album was curated by Gary Barlow who asked 80s icons to write a new song – but make it sound like it could have been made at the time of the 1988 Winter Olympics.

The project became a bit of a reunion with the song put together by four out of the five people – Peter, Richard, producer Gary Stevenson and keyboard player Dave West, who made Go West’s first record.

"We thought the best way to do that was to put the team back together," said dad-of-two Richard.

"That was a lot of fun because we did Live at the Palladium on the TV and we were back in at Radio 1. It was the first time I’d crossed that portal in some time."

The only snag: Gary needed the song written and recorded within a week.

Richard added: "We were on tour but somehow we made it happen by going back to the studio after the gigs and then getting up in the morning and working during the day.

"Gary Barlow is great. He’s a workaholic from the little I’ve seen of what he does. He’s very inspiring.

- Go West perform with Nik Kershaw and T'Pau at Bank Park for Warrington Festival on September 16. Tickets are £15. Visit pyramidparrhall.com or call 442345.