Fans of breezy high-NRG 80s pop have woken up to some great news today with the announcement that the original 'girl power' band, Bananarama, are reforming.
For the first time in almost thirty years the original line up of Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward and Dublin native Siobhan Fahey are heading back on the road for a new UK-wide tour.
The trio were the biggest girl band of the 80s, scoring hits including Cruel Summer, Robert De Niro's Wating and I Heard A Rumour.
Formed in 1979. Fahey quit the group in 1988 to form Shakespear's Sister leading to a massive falling out between herself and the remaining duo. She was later replaced by Jacqui O'Sullivan, but her acrimonious departure meant that the original line-up never toured together.
Past differences have now been put behind them and the band have confirmed that they will be hitting the road in November and December.
"This is the first time we've performed live together - with the exception of getting onstage with a cassette when we were 18!" Woodward told BBC radio.
Fahey, who is originally from Terenure in Dublin, said she was delighted they had put their differences aside saying that she was "feeling really nostalgic and proud and what a great thing to celebrate."
Such was the excitement that greeted today's announcement, that the band's official website crashed earlier this morning.
After initially finding success with Fun Boy Three on their hit It Ain't What You Do, It's the Way You Do It, the band went on to enjoy stellar success and sold 40 million records and even scored a US number one with their cover of Venus.
Famed for their raunchy videos and no holds barred attitude, they later went full pop and teamed up with the Stock, Aiken and Waterman hit factory, who produced a string of hits for the band including I Heard a Rumour and Love in the First Degree.
Comedian Jennifer Saunders has credited the band with providing the inspiration for Absolutely Fabulous and the drunken antics of Eddie and Patsy. "I once saw one of them coming out of a cab, bottom first and hitting the road and I thought: that’s class," she revealed.
The band last played Ireland without Fahey at Electric Picnic last year and went down a storm, even getting the crowd up on stage to help them belt out Venus.
Tickets for Bananarama's UK tour go on sale on Wednesday. Although no Irish dates are scheduled at the moment, the band have said they will look at adding further gigs in the near future.
Meanwhile the current Bananarama line up (i.e minus Fahey) will be performing at the Beatyard Festival in Dun Laoghaire in August.
