LET’S do it all again next year!

That’s the message after more than 12,000 music fans packed on to Southampton Common for a pop concert for the first time in more than a decade.

Today the Daily Echo can reveal that the team behind the successful Let’s Rock! event, which featured a host of stars from the 1980s, are already in talks with council bosses to hold a similar event next year.

From luminous leg warmers to denim dungarees, a feast of neon lycra and even the odd shell suit, there were no holds barred when it came to the fashion stakes for one of the biggest parties in the park in years.

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For ten-and-a-half hours revellers were entertained by a top class line-up of 1980s greats as they basked in sunshine and non-stop music.

And as the mercury rose, so did the excitement inside the arena as the crowd was transported back to an era in which most had grown up, and artists including Heaven 17, Go West, Brother Beyond, ABC and Nick Heywood graced the stage.

There was also a warm welcome for homegrown Howard Jones, who, despite a few technical glitches, went down a storm – especially when he greeted fans with a rendition of When The Saints Go Marching In.

But as the sun started to go down the party was ramped up when Bananarama took to the stage – with six lucky fans joining them towards the end of their set for a rendition of Venus like never before.

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And then it was down to singing legend Billy Ocean to close the spectacular show with hits including Get Outta My Dreams, When The Going Gets Tough, Love Really Hurts Without You and a finale of Caribbean Queen.

Today organisers hailed the one day festival as a huge success and say final numbers attending the first ever Let’s Rock! gig in Southampton tipped the 12,000 mark with a final flurry of ticket sales on the day.

Already they are in talks with Southampton City Council, who had representatives on the site throughout the day, to return next year.

Any fears that of traffic issues in the immediate roads around Southampton Common appeared unfounded as those attending largely made their way to the venue by special bus services, a park and ride facility from Eastleigh and on foot.

Yesterday as the dust settled, workers were busy restoring the park to its former glory and clearing rubbish, dismantling stages, tents and toilets and removing the barriers from the site.

Organiser Matt Smith said: “The city of Southampton absolutely embraced the event.

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Everybody who attended was there to have a good time and enjoy themselves and that’s what they did.

“We get feedback from a variety of channels and everything we have heard so far has been fantastic.

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It’s all been so positive.

“The shuttle bus service we provided and the park and ride facility were both used really well, the stewards did a great job clearing the site and the whole thing was very slick.

“We are already in talks with the council about returning next year – 100 per cent we are coming back.”