If you’re of a certain age, you might remember them being always on Top of the Pops or their cheery sassy songs forever blaring out of radios.
Well, Bananarama – one of the most successful girl groups of all time – have reformed their original line-up and are due to play Newcastle City Hall.
Though Bananarama won’t reach Newcastle until November 15th, tickets for their reunion tour will be on sale from tomorrow.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the 1980s stars have had more hit singles than any other girl band, having had 30 hits in various parts of the world. In the USA alone – where they scored a number one with Venus – Bananarama have shifted over 40 million records.
Their upcoming tour will be the first time the original line-up of Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward and Siobhan Fahey have performed together since they appeared on The Brits in 1988.
This line-up split after Siobhan left to form the goth-pop band Shakespears Sister. Her place was taken for the next two years by Jacquie O’Sullivan. Keren and Sara then continued as a duo.
Siobhan, Keren and Sara met on London’s punk scene in the late seventies before cutting a couple of successful records with the band Fun Boy Three in the early eighties.
They moved on to hit factory Stock, Aitkin and Waterman in 1986, where they soon acquired a reputation for being a little ‘difficult’.
It was an impression a few people had of them back in the eighties, a decade during which they were even banned from a couple of TV shows, once for knocking a set over, once for “something to do with Keith Chegwin and a baby.”
Amazingly, the original line-up has never played live together. Sara said, “Keren and I have toured as a duo for years, but we never toured or played live with Siobhan. We’ve been talking about this idea for a while and now the moment has finally arrived it’s incredibly exciting!”
“Lots of fans have often asked, ‘please just do one tour with Siobhan’, so now their wishes have come true.”
Keren added, “We’ll be performing all the hits and some surprises too. I really can’t wait. It’s going to be an amazing party every night.”
Bananarama will play Newcastle City Hall on Wednesday, 15th November 2017. Tickets cost £51 and can be bought by going to www.theatreroyal.co.uk or phoning 08448 11 21 21.
