Nick Heyward and Les Nemes had been in several bands together since 1977. They gigged under the names Rugby, Boat Party, and Captain Pennyworth,[3] but did not release any music. Their last band together, Moving England, with Sex Gang Children's Rob Stroud, released one single.[4] Heyward and Nemes moved to London in 1980 where they recruited friend and guitarist Graham Jones. During a meeting brainstorming band name ideas, Heyward suggested Haircut One Hundred and because it was the one "that made us laugh the most"[5] they kept it. The three were joined by drummer Patrick Hunt. Managed by Karl Adams, the band recorded some demos. Phil Smith played saxophone on the sessions and he joined the group, followed by percussionist Marc Fox. The group played some live dates and were signed by Arista Records in 1981. They entered Chalk Farm's Roundhouse studios to record their debut single, "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)", which became their first hit, reaching No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1981,[6] and resulted in their first appearance on BBC Television's Top of the Pops.
For the recording of their debut album, Pelican West, Blair Cunningham replaced Hunt on drums. Their second single, "Love Plus One", was released in January 1982 and gave the band their second UK top 10 hit. Pelican West was released in February, reaching No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart.[6] The band became internationally famous and toured the globe. "Love Plus One" reached the US top 40, and they secured further UK top 10 hits in 1982 with the singles "Fantastic Day" and "Nobody's Fool".
Heyward leaves and Paint and Paint
In late 1982, tensions began arising within the band as they struggled to record new material, which was hindered when Heyward refused to attend recording sessions. Eventually, in January 1983, the band's forthcoming single, "Whistle Down the Wind", was postponed and a statement was issued confirming that the band and Heyward were parting company.[7] At the time, Heyward told Smash Hits magazine that he had been contemplating going solo for some time and had already recorded some tracks with session musicians.[7] However, many years later, Heyward stated that he had been struggling with stress and depression at the time after a year of constant work and pressure, which led to him being, in effect, sacked by the other members of the band.[8] With the loss of the band's frontman and main songwriter, Fox took over vocal duties and the band continued to write material themselves (several B-sides during Heyward's tenure had been credited to the whole band). The band left Arista and signed with Polydor Records, and released a single called "Prime Time" which spent 5 weeks inside the Top 75 but failed to get any higher than number 46.[9]
Further singles by this line-up, such as "So Tired",[10] failed to reach the UK top 40 and their follow-up album, Paint and Paint (1984) failed to chart. The band split up soon after. Heyward, however, had embarked on a successful solo career in 1983, and scored several chart hits (including the aforementioned song "Whistle Down the Wind", which was his first solo release in March 1983) and a top 10 album, North of a Miracle. Blair Cunningham would join The Pretenders for their Get Close album,[11] while Graham Jones would join future Corduroy members Ben and Scott Addison in the proto-Britpop act[12] Boys Wonder.[13]
Reunions
In 2004, more than 20 years after their split, Haircut One Hundred (including Heyward) reunited for the VH1 show Bands Reunited and performed "Love Plus One" and "Fantastic Day". There were no further appearances from the band until five years later in 2009, when they rekindled their friendship via Facebook, and Heyward invited the rest of the band to perform at one of his solo gigs.[8] The band (comprising Heyward, Jones, Nemes and Cunningham) then played London's Indig02 on 28 January 2011, performing Pelican West in its entirety.[14] The performance was recorded and released as a live CD.[15] In 2013, the band's official website stated that they had been working on new material together; however, it has not been released.[16]
Though he did not mention new Haircut One Hundred material, Heyward commented in 2017 interviews that he has a "deep love" for the band,[17] and is "ever hopeful" that the band will eventually reform for a reunion show at the Roundhouse.[18]
In November 2022, Heyward announced on his Facebook page that the Pelican West album was due for a new Super Deluxe 4CD re-issue in early 2023. To celebrate the forthcoming release, Haircut One Hundred featured in a BBC Radio 2 Piano Room session on 16 February 2023,[19][20][21][22] in which they played a cover of Harry Styles' "As It Was". They also announced a warm-up show at the O2 Academy Oxford on 6 May 2023,[23] and a one off show at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, on 12 May 2023.
In June 2023 the band announced a UK tour in Oct/Nov 2023 at which old and new material will be played. Heyward has confirmed on his Patreon site that a new album's worth of material has been written.
In 2024, Haircut 100 toured the United States and Canada as the opening band for ABC and Howard Jones, playing 18 shows in August and September.[24]
Band members
Nick Heyward (born 20 May 1961, Beckenham, Kent)[25] – lead vocals, guitar (1980–1983, 2004, 2009–2013, 2023–)
Les Nemes (born 5 December 1960, Croydon, Surrey)[25] – bass (1980–1984, 2004, 2009–2013, 2023–)
Graham Jones (born 8 July 1961, Bridlington, East Yorkshire)[25] – guitar (1980–1984, 2004, 2009–2013, 2023–)
Patrick Hunt (born 10 April 1959, in Shaftesbury, Dorset) – drums (1980)
Phil Smith (born 1 May 1959, Redbridge, Essex)[25] – saxophone (1980–1984, 2004, 2009–2013)
Marc Fox (born 13 February 1958, Recklinghausen, West Germany)[25] – percussion, vocals (1980–1984, 2004, 2009–2013)
Blair Cunningham (born 11 October 1957, Harlem, New York City)[25] – drums (1981–1984, 2004, 2009–2013, 2023–)
^ abc"Certified Awards SearchArchived 17 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 September 2011. Note: User needs to enter "Haircut 100" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.
