I chatted to resident DJ at Lytham Festival 2024, the legendary Rusty Egan of Blitz nightclub & Visage fame

A whole host of famous faces are gracing the stage at Lytham Festival this year, including Shania Twain, Madness and the Courteneers, but one star has a privilege that none of the others can claim - a slot to perform every night of the festival.

One of the most influential DJs of modern times, Rusty Egan, who is often cited as the pioneer of electronic dance music in the UK, has already been announced as the resident DJ at Lytham Festival this year.

66-year-old Rusty made his name in the late 1970s as a drummer for the British new-wave band The Rich Kids with Glen Matlock, formerly of the Sex Pistols, and Midge Ure OBE.

He then enjoyed considerable success with Midge in Visage, fronted by Steve Strange, and came to prominence as the founder and DJ at the Blitz Club (1979-1980), where he introduced German Electronica to the British scene.

In 1982 Rusty and Strange opened up the Camden Palace nightclub, where he continued to influence the development of electronica in the UK. At the same time, he moved into making music through his record label and publishing company Metropolis, which signed Soft Cell, and Soho’s famous Trident Studios where Rusty re-mixed Madonna’s first record ‘Everybody’.

Despite emerging from the late 70’s New Wave and 1980’s New Romantic movements, Rusty is still going strong today, performing live across the world and making new records with many other big names - in 2017, he even released his first solo album, feautring tracks with Midge Ure, Tony Hadley and Peter Hook.

In our exclusive chat with him, ahead of his performances in Lytham Festival this year, Rusty told us: "I just keep making music, that's what life's about for me. Music is the only great thing I can turn to right now, if I turned to the news I’d want to cry."

Take a look at our full interview with him below:

How are you feeling about being the resident DJ at Lytham Festival this year?

Rusty: “Well, I love Lytham St Annes and I've been going there for about 15 years now. It's a beautiful part of the world and lots of very happy people up there in these terrible dark times. So I'm looking forward to being there for a whole week. There was a place there called the Vinyl Cafe and I used to go there and have a full on breakfast, and they sold my album on vinyl so I was very happy.

“And if you look at the bill of the Lytham Festival, it's not your average, there's some great artists on there this year. I love Hozier, obviously, I know Madness. I used to have the biggest club in Camden, the Camden Palace and they were in there every night and I was also in a band with Sugsy’s wife!”

The star went on to share how he has sentimental memories of the festival, explaining “I played on the main stage a couple of years ago and I knew every single act and it included Midge Ure who did a double set as Human League had an illness [Rusty and Midge were in a band together].

“Clark Datchler from Johnny Hates Jazz also invited me to the centre of the stage and I'd forgotten I actually signed him as an 18-year-old- songwriter and he said thank you for starting my career so it was a very lovely moment.”

What can audiences expect from your performance?

Rusty: “I think I'll just be song selecting so DJing is where you create an atmosphere from one song to the next song to the next song, but song selecting is where you just play Dido ‘Thank you’ and then the whole audience knows the song, and then you play the Smiths ‘How soon is now’ and then you look at who's coming on stage next and then you pick a few tunes for that. So I tell you what, you could ask your readers ‘What do you want to hear?

“I only want to hear if you're going to the festival, I don't care if you're at home 10 miles away. If you're going to Lytham Festival, I am preparing my setlist of what I believe people there are going to  want to hear - great quality music. There’s some great 80s, 90s, noughties music so let me let me know what you want me to play from the mainstage before you see the artists that you want to see.”

How would you describe your set?

Rusy: “There is a word called Indie… if you're going there to see Hozier I'm not going to be playing ‘It's raining men’ before they play, I'll play something like the National. I do know current music, I am still a DJ all the time, I still go out and play to Gen Z but at this festival there's gonna be 20 to 60 year old people, there might even be somebody touching 70 who plays a bit of golf there. I just think great music is still out there still being made and I hopefully will get it right but the they help of the the locals would be really helpful."

You were just on the Fylde Coast warming up for two 80’s Weekender nights at the Blackpool Grand, how was that?

Rusty: "Marc Armand was fantastic, I mean what a sing-a-long, hit after hit after hit, you just forget how many hit songs that guy had... and Heaven 17 were the same, you just forget how many great songs these guys put out, and Martin Ware was also in the Human League so they finished the night with ‘Being Boiled’, one of the greatest electronic pop records of all time. I also played really good stuff, really good stuff: The Cure, Tears for Fears, New Order, Depeche Mode, and I ended with Spandau Ballet ‘Gold’ and our wonderful George Michael ‘Careless Whisper’.

“So Blackpool was great that weekend. I didn't have any trolls and I was quite surprised, you normally get somebody on social media saying something like ‘have you not bought a new record, it is 2024’ and then you have to remind them it was an 80s weekend…But no, I got an amazing response, lots of people said what a fantastic weekend, when can you come on up again, I said I'm available for weddings and bar mitzvahs!”

How have the Lancashire audiences been?

Rusty: "Oh, they've always been fantastic, they've always been fantastic. I wish I could afford to move up there! What about that - and I live in London!”

Although your Lancashire performances are surely up there, what are your other career highlights?

Rusty: “Well it must have been warming up for Martin Kemp, that must have been a highlight of my life.”

Is there anyone you’re most looking forward to  seeing at Lytham Festival?

Rusty: ”To be honest, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone - I'm an open book when it comes to music! 

“And that’s what Lytham Festival is, it's not just electronic music or it's not just old music, it's for everyone, which is absolutely brilliant.”

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Why should people get tickets?

Rusty: “Because it's nonstop! When you go to a festival, a band goes on, and then they finish and then the atmosphere changes, everyone goes to the toilet - that's a job in itself - goes to the bar, goes and eat something. But ifl there’s a great DJ on, the band finishes and boom you go ‘Oh, I love this song!’ and  you're dancing in the sunshine, back to back all day long, enjoying  a great vibe - nonstop electronic synth pop dub I call it!”

And will you be getting up to anything else in Lytham whilst you’re here?

Rusty: “I'll be taking a walk along that lovely lovely coastline, it's absolutely beautiful from the windmill all the way up there. Everything that's free is what I want up there, apart from some fish and chips, and I might go to Marvin’s Bar after, if he’s open!”