Haircut One Hundred, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh 13th October 2023

Sadly, for numerous reasons, not least the pressures of producing a second album that could rival the success of the first, that was as good as it got. Front man Nick Heyward and the rest of the band went their separate ways. The second album without Nick didn’t reach get close to matching the popularity of the first, Paint and Paint peaked at 46 without spawning any Top 40 singles. Meantime Nick Heyward went solo with a level of success that many would envy, albeit never quite reaching the dizzying heights of 1982 in terms of sales or acclaim. 

Fast forward forty years, adding a fair dose of grey hair for most of those who purchased Pelican West back in the 80s and the band are back together, recording new material and playing live gigs around the UK. The chance to hear them in concert was not one I was prepared to pass up. Judging by the crowd reaction at each of their gigs, (the band have been actively posting clips on their social media), there are plenty of others who have been similarly enthused by the opportunity. 

Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh was the venue for the only Scottish leg of the tour. It’s a venue I’ve visited several times, but this was the first since it was refurbished in 2018. The auditorium, with a capacity for 900, is one of the more intimate venues around. Given the size of so many newer venues, it’s fantastic to be able to see the band on stage with your own eyes instead of on screen or through binoculars. The renovated bar and foyer area was a pleasant surprise with plenty of room to mill around before the entertainment began and during the intermission. 

First on stage were Barbara, a band that I must confess to having heard nothing of before the show. They played a tight 30-minute set of well-written and performed tracks with strong melodies and clever lyrics. I struggle to suggest another band as a comparison, but I am informed that they count Supertramp among their influences. Stand out tracks included “These New Communications” and “Pretty Straight Guy”. I can confirm that they count Phil Jupitus among their fans; he was in attendance to show his support. Phil also took some time at the intermission to chat to us about his own journey including his involvement with The Housemartins back in the day. It was great to see the band themselves take time after their set to mingle with fans chatting about their music. 

The main course duly arrived around 9pm, (which seems to have been the fashion for as long as I care to remember), when Haircut 100 took to the stage. They opened with “Favourite Shirts” which set the tone right from the off. Playing as a 8-piece including a three piece brass section, they rattled through 90 minutes featuring a few of my own picks from Pelican West, “Lemon Firebrigade”, “Baked Bean” and “Love’s Got Me In Triangles”. Three or four new tracks were introduced and “Blue Hat For A Blue Day” which had been released in 1983 as a Nick Heyward solo project, re-interpreted Haircut 100 style minus the keys and harmonica. As the show headed towards a crescendo, we were treated to “Nobody’s Fool”, “Love Plus One” and “Fantastic Day” before an encore which closed with an extended (12” styleversion) of “Favourite Shirts”.  

I left the venue, wishing there was a rewind option so I could experience the show again. Had there been another Scottish gig, (perhaps in Glasgow), I would have been looking for tickets right there and then. It’s great to see Haircut 100 performing again after so many years, Nick Heyward, Les Nemes and Graham Jones were all in great form. By all accounts they would have been joined by drummer Blair Cunningham had illness not intervened shortly before the tour started. I’m now eagerly looking forward to hearing more new material from them in 2024 and hopefully getting another opportunity to see them perform live.