Haircut One Hundred

Haircut One Hundred formed in Beckenham in 1980, Nick Heyward, Les Nemes, Graham Jones, Blair Cunningham, Phil Smith, and Mark Fox developing a sound that drew on jazz, funk, and new wave in ways that were immediately joyful and distinctive. Their music was warm, melodic, and rhythmically sophisticated — a British equivalent of the American sophisti-pop sound, filtered through a distinctly English sensibility.

Their debut album 'Pelican West' (1982) reached number two in the UK and produced the singles 'Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)', 'Love Plus One', and 'Fantastic Day'. The album was a genuine classic of early-1980s British pop — melodically rich, rhythmically inventive, and full of Heyward's warm, distinctive vocals. They were one of the most popular British acts of 1982.

Heyward left the band in 1982 to pursue a solo career, and the remaining members continued briefly before dissolving. Heyward's solo career produced several strong albums, including 'North of a Miracle' (1983). Haircut One Hundred are remembered as one of the more joyful and distinctive acts of the early-1980s British new wave scene, and 'Pelican West' remains a genuine classic.