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Haircut One Hundred

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This article is about the British pop group. For the snooker player with the same nickname, see Judd Trump.

Haircut One Hundred
Pop group performing on stage, spotlit, with row of darkened fans in the foreground
Haircut One Hundred performing in January 2011
Background information
Also known asHaircut 100
OriginBeckenham, London, England
Genres
Years active
  • 1980–1984
  • 2004
  • 2009–2013
  • 2023–present
Labels
Members
Past members
  • Patrick Hunt
  • Phil Smith
  • Marc Fox

Haircut One Hundred (also Haircut 100)[2] are a British pop group formed in 1980 in Beckenham, London, by Nick Heyward, Les Nemes and Graham Jones. In 1981 and 1982, the band scored four UK top-10 singles: "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)", "Love Plus One", "Nobody's Fool", and "Fantastic Day".

History

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Formation and Pelican West

[edit]

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

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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

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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

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  • 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–)

Discography

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Studio albums

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Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[26] 		AUS
[27] 		NZ
[28] 		SWE
[29] 		US
1982 Pelican West
  • Released: 26 February 1982
  • Label: Arista
 2 27 12 29 31
1984 Paint and Paint
  • Released: 6 July 1984
  • Label: Polydor
 – – – – –

Singles

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Year Song Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds) 		Album
UK
[26][31] 		AUS
[27] 		CAN
[32] 		FRA
[32] 		NZ
[28] 		US
[33]
1981 "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" 4 97 - - 32 - Pelican West
1982 "Love Plus One" 3 10 4 3 22 37
"Fantastic Day" 9 85 - - 29 -
"Nobody's Fool" 9 - - - - - —
1983 "Prime Time" 46 - - - - - Paint and Paint
"So Tired" 94 - - - - -
1984 "Too Up, Two Down" 125 - - - - -
2024 "The Unloving Plum" - - - - - -

Live albums

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Year Album
2011 Live at the IndigO2 28 January 2011
  • Label: Abbey Road Live Here Now
  • Format: CD

Compilations

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Year Album
1989 Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred – The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred
1994 Haircut One Hundred & Nick Heyward – The Very Best of Haircut 100 & Nick Heyward
  • Label: BMG
  • Format: CD
1996 Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred – The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred
  • Label: Camden / BMG
  • Format: CD
2003 Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred – The Very Best Of…
  • Label: Camden / BMG
  • Format: CD
2009 Nick Heyward, Haircut One Hundred – Favourite Songs: The Best Of
  • Label: Sony
  • Format: CD

References

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  1. ^ John Curley (6 December 2020). "Excellent Style Council documentary will air on Showtime". Goldmine. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Favourite Songs: The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100". Oldies.com. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Calling Captain Summertime – the Nick Heyward interview". writewyattuk. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Moving England – Moving Back / Stretching Rack (Part 3)". Discogs. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  5. ^ Schnee, Steven. "Haircut 100: An Exclusive Q&A with Guitarist Graham Jones!". Amped Distribution. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 239. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. ^ a b "Bitz: "Cuts Up" (Haircut 100 article)". Smash Hits. Vol. 5, no. 3. EMAP Metro. 3 February 1983. p. 13.
  8. ^ a b "Andrew Williams, "Nick Heyward: Facebook is the reason Haircut One Hundred are reuniting"". Metro.co.uk. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  9. ^ "PRIME TIME". Official Charts. 6 August 1983. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  10. ^ "SO TIRED". Official Charts. 29 October 1983. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Artists Detail". www.sonor.com. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  12. ^ "INTERVIEW / LIVE DATES: boYs wonder return!". Gigslutz. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  13. ^ Harris, John (22 October 2024). "'We were banging our heads against a wall – the wall won': the genius pop and tragic demise of Boys Wonder". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  14. ^ "The O2 – Haircut 100 tickets". Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Haircut One Hundred – Live album (official website)". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  16. ^ "Haircut One Hundred – News (official website)". Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  17. ^ Heyward, Nick (23 July 2017). "Loose Ends" (Interview). Clive Anderson. London: BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  18. ^ Heyward, Nick (27 July 2017). "Lorraine" (Interview). Lorraine Kelly. London: ITV. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  19. ^ "BBC Radio 2 announces artists for its new Piano Room feature". Radiotoday.co.uk. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  20. ^ "BBC Radio 2 - Ken Bruce, Radio 2 Piano Room - Haircut 100". BBC. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  21. ^ "BBC Radio 2 - Radio 2's Piano Room, Piano Room Month 2023, Haircut 100". BBC. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  22. ^ "BBC Radio 2 announces the return of Piano Room Month". Completemusicupdate.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  23. ^ "Haircut 100".
  24. ^ "Haircut 100 Gigs". haircut100.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  25. ^ a b c d e f Roberts, David (1998). Guinness Rockopedia (1st ed.). London: Guinness Publishing Ltd. p. 183. ISBN 0-85112-072-5.
  26. ^ a b "Chart Stats – Haircut 100". theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  27. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 131. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  28. ^ a b "Chart Stats – Haircut 100". charts.nz. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  29. ^ "Chart Stats – Haircut 100". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  30. ^ a b c "Certified Awards Search Archived 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.
  31. ^ "UK Singles Charts: 1984 (including chart panel sales)". UKMIX Forums. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  32. ^ a b "The World's Music Charts (Songs from the Year 1982)". Tsort.info. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  33. ^ "Chart Stats – Haircut 100". Billboard. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
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