Haircut One Hundred

Haircut One Hundred (also known as Haircut 100) was a pop-New Wave band formed in 1980.

Band members

• Nick Heyward - born Nicholas Heyward on 20 May 1961, in Beckenham, Kent - Vocalist.
• Les Nemes - born Leslie Nemes on 5 December 1960, in Croydon, Surrey - Bassist.
• Graham Jones - born on 8 July 1961, in Bridlington, East Yorkshire - Guitarist.
• Phil Smith - born on 1 May 1959 in Redbridge, Essex - Saxophonist/Guitarist.
• Mark Fox - born on 13 February 1958 - Percussionist.
• Blair Cunningham - born on 11 October 1957, in Harlem, New York - Drummer.

Biography

They were successful from the beginning, with 1981's "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" single, setting the stage for the breakthrough success of Pelican West album in 1982. The "Love Plus One" single was even bigger than anything previous, and Haircut 100 seemed poised for stardom just as Heyward decided to seek a solo career. The remainder of the band tried to continue with the Paint and Paint album (with percussionist Mark Fox taking over Heyward's vocal duties) in 1984, but they broke up soon after.

Nick Heyward has enjoyed a modestly successful solo career since leaving the band, beginning with 1983's North of a Miracle, which produced Heyward's first solo hit, "Whistle Down the Wind." 1986's Postcards From Home and 1988's I Love You Avenue were less successful, and Heyward spent the late '80s and early '90s working as a graphic designer. Heyward finally hit his stride with 1994's From Monday to Sunday, which many critics considered one of the best pop albums of the year and which landed Heyward an actual American radio hit with "Kite." The following year Heyward released Tangle, with The Apple Bed following in 1996. Heyward has recorded less frequently in recent years, though, and his most recent album - 2001's Open Sesame Seed - is a collaboration with British actor/musician Greg Ellis, which features Ellis reading Heyward's poetry to the accompaniment of Heyward's musical backing.

Where are they now?

Heyward is currently living in Oxfordshire, and occasionally returns to the stage to tour on '80s revival packages.

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."

External link

• http://www.haircut100.net