Haircut One Hundred
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1980 in Beckenham, London, England |
| Founder | Nick Heyward, Les Nemes, Graham Jones |
| Headquarters | London , England |
Area served | United Kingdom, international |
| Products | Music albums, singles, live performances |
Haircut One Hundred (also known as Haircut 100) is a British pop ensemble established in 1980 in Beckenham, London, by Nick Heyward, Les Nemes, and Graham Jones. Between 1981 and 1982, the group secured four UK top-10 hits: "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)", "Love Plus One", "Nobody's Fool", and "Fantastic Day".
Origins and Pelican West
Since 1977, Nick Heyward and Les Nemes had collaborated in various bands such as Rugby, Boat Party, and Captain Pennyworth, although none released official recordings. Their final venture before Haircut One Hundred, Moving England, produced a single release. After moving to London in 1980, they enlisted guitarist Graham Jones. During a creative discussion, Heyward proposed the name Haircut One Hundred, which the group adopted. The lineup expanded with drummer Patrick Hunt, saxophonist Phil Smith, and percussionist Marc Fox joining. Under the management of Karl Adams, they produced demos that led to a contract with Arista Records in 1981. Their debut single "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)", recorded at the Roundhouse studios in Chalk Farm, climbed to No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, earning them their inaugural spot on BBC's Top of the Pops.
For their first album Pelican West, Blair Cunningham replaced Hunt on drums. The follow-up single "Love Plus One", released in January 1982, also reached the UK top 10. The album Pelican West, released in February, peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart. The band's international profile grew as they toured worldwide. In the US, "Love Plus One" entered the top 40 charts, while "Fantastic Day" and "Nobody's Fool" secured UK top-10 status during 1982.
Departure of Heyward and Paint and Paint
By late 1982, internal conflicts emerged when Heyward declined to attend recording sessions for the single "Whistle Down the Wind", causing delays. In January 1983, the band announced that Heyward had left. He later disclosed that stress and depression following intense workloads contributed to his decision to exit. With Heyward's departure, Fox stepped up as lead vocalist while the band continued composing new songs. They parted ways with Arista and signed with Polydor Records, releasing "Prime Time," which peaked at number 46 on UK charts.
Later singles such as "So Tired" failed to break into the top 40, and their 1984 album Paint and Paint did not chart. Shortly thereafter, the group disbanded. Meanwhile, Heyward embarked on a successful solo career in 1983 with hits including "Whistle Down the Wind" and a top-10 album titled North of a Miracle. Drummer Blair Cunningham joined The Pretenders for their Get Close album sessions, while guitarist Graham Jones collaborated with future members of Corduroy in the proto-Britpop act Boys Wonder.
Reunions
More than two decades after their breakup, Haircut One Hundred reunited in 2004 (with Heyward) for the VH1 program Bands Reunited, performing "Love Plus One" and "Fantastic Day". A reconnection via Facebook in 2009 led to an appearance at one of Heyward’s solo concerts. The lineup featuring Heyward, Jones, Nemes, and Cunningham performed a full rendition of Pelican West at London's Indig02 on 28 January 2011. This concert was recorded and released as a live album. In 2013, their official website noted work on new material; however, no new releases followed.
In interviews from 2017, Heyward expressed a profound affection for the band and remains optimistic about staging a reunion show at the Roundhouse.
In November 2022, Heyward announced an upcoming Super Deluxe 4CD reissue of Pelican West scheduled for early 2023. To support this release, Haircut One Hundred appeared on BBC Radio 2 Piano Room in February 2023 performing a rendition of Harry Styles' "As It Was". They planned warm-up performances at the O2 Academy Oxford on 6 May 2023 and at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on 12 May 2023. Later in June 2023, a UK tour was announced for October and November featuring both classic tracks and new compositions. Heyward confirmed via his Patreon page that material sufficient for a new album has been completed.
During 2024, Haircut One Hundred toured North America supporting ABC and Howard Jones, performing eighteen shows across August and September while releasing the single "The Unloving Plum".
In October 2025, Haircut One Hundred revealed plans for their first studio album in over four decades titled Boxing The Compass, set for release on 20 March 2026 alongside an accompanying headline tour.
Band members
- Nick Heyward (born 20 May 1961, Beckenham, Kent) – lead vocalist and guitarist (1980–1983, 2004, 2009–2013, 2023–present)
- Les Nemes (born 5 December 1960, Croydon, Surrey) – bass guitar (1980–1984, 2004, 2009–2013, 2023–present)
- Graham Jones (born 8 July 1961, Bridlington, East Yorkshire) – guitarist (1980–1984, 2004, 2009–2013, 2023–present)
- Patrick Hunt (born 10 April 1959, Shaftesbury, Dorset) – drummer (1980–1981)
- Phil Smith (born 1 May 1959, Redbridge, Essex) – saxophonist (1980–1984, 2004, 2009–2013)
- Marc Fox (born 13 February 1958, Recklinghausen, West Germany) – percussionist and vocalist (1980–1984, 2004, 2009–2013)
- Blair Cunningham (born 11 October 1957, Harlem, New York City) – drummer (1981–1984, 2004, 2009–2013, 2023–present)
Studio albums
| Year | Album information | Highest chart rankings | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | NZ | SWE | US | CAN | |||
| 1982 | Pelican West
|
2 | 27 | 12 | 29 | 31 | 23 |
|
| 1984 | Paint and Paint
|
– | – | – | – | – | ||
Singles
| Year | Track | Highest chart rankings | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | CAN | IRE | FRA | NZ | US | ||||
| 1981 | "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" | 4 | 97 | - | 14 | - | 32 | - |
|
Pelican West |
| 1982 | "Love Plus One" | 3 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 37 |
| |
| "Fantastic Day" | "9" | "85" | ||||||||
| "9" | ||||||||||
| "Prime Time" | "46" | |||||||||
| "94" | ||||||||||
| "Too Up, Two Down" | "125" | |||||||||
| "The Unloving Plum" | "–" | |||||||||
Live recordings
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Live at the IndigO2 28 January 2011
|
| 2023 | Haircut 100% Live! Hammersmith Odeon Spring 1982
|
Greatest hits collections
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred – The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred
|
| 1994 | Haircut One Hundred & Nick Heyward – The Very Best of Haircut 100 & Nick Heyward
|
| 1996 | Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred – The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred
|
| 2003 | Nick Heyward & Haircut One Hundred – The Very Best Of…
|
| 2009 | Nick Heyward, Haircut One Hundred – Favourite Songs: The Best Of
|