Bananarama 2018

Bananarama 2018 – the original lineup tour.

Bananarama is a British female pop music vocal group formed in London in 1981 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Their success on both pop and dance charts has earned them a listing in the Guinness World Records as the all-female group with the most chart entries in the world. In addition to their chart success, they are also known for their vocal style, generally singing in unison rather than in harmony like most vocal groups.

The group’s 10 UK Top 10 hits include “It Ain’t What You Do…” (1982), “Really Saying Something” (1982), “Shy Boy” (1982), “Cruel Summer” (1983), “Robert De Niro’s Waiting…” (1984) and “Love in the First Degree” (1987). In 1986, they had a U.S. number one with another of their UK Top 10 hits, a cover of “Venus”. In total, they had 11 singles reach the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (1983–88), including two more in the Top 10, with “Cruel Summer” (1984) and “I Heard a Rumour” (1987). They are associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US. In 1984 Bananarama featured on the Band Aid single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. Their fourth album Wow! (1987), topped the Australian ARIA albums chart in June 1988. They also earned Brit Award nominations for Best British Single for “Love in the First Degree”, and Best Music Video for their 1988 hit cover of The Supremes single “Nathan Jones”.

Fahey left the group in 1988 and formed Shakespears Sister, best known for the UK number one “Stay”. She was replaced by Jacquie O’Sullivan, who stayed with the group for three years. This line-up had UK Top 10 hits with “I Want You Back” (1988) and “Help!” (1989). After O’Sullivan’s 1991 departure, Dallin and Woodward continued Bananarama as a duo, with hits including “Movin’ On” (1992) and “More, More, More” (1993), before returning to the UK Top 40 for the first time in 12 years with the single “Move in My Direction” (2005). Between 1982 and 2009, they had 28 singles reach the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. It was announced in April 2017 that Fahey had rejoined Bananarama and that they would be touring the UK from November 2017 and North America in 2018.

These photos and videos are from the final night in North America, 2018. In New York, at the Playstation Theatre, the ladies put on one hell of a show in front of a packed house. 2000 Bananarama crazy fans – dancing and singing along. Photos plus videos of Robert De Niro’s Waiting, Preacher Man and Love in the First Degree.