Iconic 80s band reunite for new tour – 34 years after bitter split and ‘struggling to cope with fame’
FAIRGROUND Attraction formed in the mid 1980s at the tail end of the New Romantic movement that produced popular bands including Culture Club and Duran Duran.
But despite having found instant success with their number one solo single Perfect in 1988 and two BRIT awards into the bargain, the band split in 1990, supposedly due to the pressures of fame.
Now some 34 years after they parted ways, the band have reunited for a new tour and comeback single.
Singer Eddi Reader, bass player Simon Edwards, guitarist Mark Nevin and drummer Ray Dodds have all returned in a bid to recapture some of the lost magic.
Guitarist Mark explained that they’d initially lost touch, but met up again in 2023 and the idea for a comeback was born.
He said: “I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be back together. We had all given up hope that it would ever happen. It is spooky, as though we were ghosts, we have come back to life, but something happens between us when we play together.”
Fairground Attractions debut album, The First of a Million Kisses reached number two in the charts and was certified platinum.
But tensions arose within the group shortly after lead singer Eddi, 64, had given birth to her first child. The catalyst for the split was when guitarist Nevin was said to have abandoned a recording session for their second studio album, which led to the break up.
Ay Fond Kiss, their second album ended up being a makeshift collection of B-sides and live tracks, that was rushed out the following year.
Scottish-born singer Eddi has enjoyed a successful career as a singer and notably as a musical interpreter of the poems of Scottish national hero, Robert Burns.
She also enjoyed a stint as an actress starring in Cheatin Heart on BBC television as well as a production for the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 90s.
Their new single What’s Wrong with the World is out today and tickets for their upcoming tour are also now on sale.
No doubt their fans find the idea of their reunion, just Perfect!