Sarah Dalin, Keren Woodward and Siobhan Fahey formed Bananarama in 1979 and were together until 1988 when Fahey left the trio yet, through all the years and the many hits, they never once went out on tour together.
That would be pretty much unheard of in this day-and-age as touring is where artists are making their money but, then, the group stuck to one-offs and media appearances. It didn’t hurt their popularity as, between 1982 and 1988, they scored nine top ten hits in the U.K. and three in the U.S. (Cruel Summer (1983 / #9 U.S. / #8 U.K.), Venus (1986 / #1 U.S. / #8 U.K.), I Heard a Rumour (1987 / #4 U.S. / #14 U.K.).
The 1988 split was particularly bad. Fahey felt that the other two members, who had been friends long before forming the group, were freezing her out. She went on to form Shakespear’s Sister and, other than two single-evening appearances over the years, they wouldn’t come together again until two years ago when the seeds of reunion were first planted.
This November, they will finally do that first tour as a trio (Dalin and Woodward have gone on the road as a two-person version of Bananarama for years). Opening in Glasgow on November 12, they have fifteen dates through December 2 in Southend.
Plus, if the tour goes well, they are planning on coming to the U.S. in 2018.
The dates:
11/12 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
11/13 – Blackpool, UK – Blackpool Opera House
11/15 – Newcastle, UK – Newcastle City Hall
11/16 – York, UK – Barbican
11/17 – Barbican, UK – O2 Apollo
11/19 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
11/22 – Bristol, UK – Colston Hall
11/23 – Birmingham, UK – Barclaycard Arena
11/24 – Nottingham, UK – Royal Concert Hall
11/26 – Bournemouth, UK – BIC
11/27 – Cardiff, UK – St. David’s Hall
11/28 – Plymouth, UK – Pavillions
11/30 – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre
12/01 – Ipswitch, UK – Ipswitch Regent
12/02 – Southend, UK – Cliffs Pavillion
