Combining light funk with frothy pop, Haircut 100 was one of the cleanest and most accessible new wave groups. Formed in 1980, the British band's core members were vocalist Nick Heyward, bassist Les Nemes, and guitarist Graham Jones; the following year, drummer Memphis Blair Cunningham, saxophonist Phil Smith, and percussionist Mark Fox joined the group. Once the band was signed to Arista Records, they were put under the direction of producer Bob Sargeant, who helped them polish their stylish pop. Released in late 1981, Haircut 100's first single, "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)," managed to reach number four in the U.K., establishing the group's widespread appeal. The band released their debut album, Pelican West, in early 1982. Their next single, "Love Plus One," was a bigger hit, making the band one of the hottest British pop groups of the year. However, their momentum crashed to a halt when Heyward decided to pursue a solo career. Fox became the lead vocalist in early 1983, yet Haircut 100 could not replicate their previous success; they broke up after the release of their second album, 1984's Paint and Paint.
Graham Jones works as a tree surgeon in Dorset and is mostly retired from music, though he joined Heyward onstage for a performance in late 2002.
Les Nemes has played bass on at least one or two tracks on most of Heyward's solo releases, and also performed with the British band Miracle Mile during the latter half of the '90s. In 2004, he performed in the UK as a member of Heyward's touring band.
Phil Smith also performed with Nemes in Miracle Mile and does session work.
Mark Fox played drums for Echo and the Bunnymen during most of 1986, but left the group when their original drummer returned. Since then he has worked for BMG and had a key role in the discovery of Natalie Imbruglia.
After the breakup of Haircut 100, Blair Cunningham initially found work with The Explorers, a band formed by Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera and Andy MacKay following that band's split. He also played drums for The Pretenders during the late 1980s. During the first half of the 1990s, he was the regular touring and studio drummer for Paul McCartney. Today, he remains an in-demand session drummer.
In 2004, all of the group's ex-members reunited for an episode of VH1's Bands Reunited series. The group has seriously discussed the idea of reuniting to record a new album, with Heyward being quoted as saying "We're all older and have commitments but wouldn't it be good to dedicate two weeks of our lives to creating a follow-up to Pelican West. It would have that magic because nobody as a player has gone off the boil."
Hi, Haircut 100 -- thanks for the Friendship! Re-Flex are currently in the process of completing a 6-disc CD box set to be released this year. Stay tuned to Re-Flex Re-Action on MySpace for updates....
Hi Haircut 100 !!!! Thanks for accepting my Friend Request !!!! I was just listening to ur CD, " pelican west plus " a couple of days ago !!! I bought it years ago and it is so goooooooooooddddddddddddd !!!! When are u guys going to do some new stuff ???????? I would really like to hear that !!! Check out my new Reality Show on You Tube called, : Cici's Reality " !!....I have 4 of the 6 Episodes, or Videos, on my Profile Page !!......Have A Care Bear Day !!!!!!!....Cici
This years festival is headlined by Billy Bragg (Friday), Seth Lakeman (Sunday) and Peatbog Faeries (Saturday) with many more top artists also performing incl the award winning The Demon Barbers.
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