360°Sound recently had the pleasure of a chat with Nick Heyward – singer, songwriter, and front person of ‘80s pop sensations Haircut One Hundred. Haircut are considered part of the “2nd British Invasion,” bands from England in the early ‘80s with style, that played power-pop with danceable grooves. Nick was the primary songwriter and vocalist on Haircut’s great classic album from 1982 Pelican West, which featured hits like “Love Plus One” (their big hit in the States) and “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl).”
Nick followed that with his first solo album, North of a Miracle, which featured the single “Whistle Down the Wind.” It charted in the States, and reached #13 on the UK Singles chart. He’s continued to record and release excellent albums, enjoying consistent chart success in the UK. This summer, he’ll be fronting Haircut One Hundred on their first tour of North America in 40 years, on a bill with Howard Jones and ABC.
Nick is a charming and gracious chap, and talked about Haircut’s beginnings, the love he has for his bandmates, and his fascination with things that make him go, “Why?”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Nick’s infectious energy is best enjoyed watching the full interview, available at the end of this article, and on our YouTube channel, @360degreesound.
360°Sound: I will just say that I wish I’d kept track of my son’s haircuts, so we could celebrate the 100th. Maybe like age 11 or 12, you know? I figure a person gets a haircut like every six weeks – you get like, 8 or 9 per annum? Carry the one, divided by…
Nick Heyward: I must say, I missed the 100th – they pass you by. It’s a bit like when you’re learning to ride a bike and you take the stabilizers off, or you learn to type. That moment when you forget what you’re doing, and you’re just doing it. I love that moment. That’s a really creative moment, because you’re going from conscious to unconscious, and back again. I love it.
You’re in the flow, connected to the right-brain consciousness. So, is there a story behind the name Haircut One Hundred?
Well, it came out of that flow state, because it was stream of consciousness. Les [Nemes], Graham [Jones], and I were sitting around the coffee table in the Ski Club of Great Britain, which was where my parents ran a bar. We had a flat downstairs and we used to sit there, come up with a name, and take it off to the pub in Beckenham, and try it out on our mates – see how it will go down. And I said, ‘Haircut 100.’ We took it to the pub and tried it out. The reaction was, ‘Why?’ And that question was good. It was the only name that stuck with us. It just felt right.
It’s good scratching people’s brains, finding a little spot that hasn’t been used in a while.
I remember seeing a picture of Paul McCartney holding up a question mark. I love that image of him in a black polo-neck looking beatnik and holding up a huge question mark on a white piece of board. He was just like, ‘What’s that?’ Anything that goes into the surreal, I’ve just been drawn to that. When I was younger, my brother had interesting artworks in his room, Roger Dean sleeves and lots of fancy stuff. And it was just, ‘Hmmm…’ Being drawn to the unusual. Anything that you say… ‘Why?’ [touches chin]
Recently, I watched a documentary about Hipgnosis, the graphic artists who created so many great album covers in the ’70s, like Pink Floyd. I would just stare at these things for hours, like, ‘What in the world is this?’ That really got me going creatively as a human being at that time.
Yeah, I grew up on prog rock as well. I was listening to early Genesis, things like “Entangled” and “Ripples” on Trick of the Tail. “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)” [from Selling England by the Pound]. “Ride a White Swan” by Marc Bolan. You took it for granted that this was a song called “Ride a White Swan,” but you never knew why. You just loved it; you loved how it works. And those words, ‘Why did they choose that?’
When we were just starting and being creative, it wasn’t about conforming. I mean, there were people around that were brilliant, obviously everywhere. But it wasn’t about how to copy them. It was more like, you’re inspired by them. You couldn’t do another song called “Ride a Black Swan” or “Ride a Blue Swan” or something. You were just inspired by the fact that they’d written something like that in the first place.
Music was so inspired then. Elton John singing about rockets. All the lyrics from Bernie Taupin in those days were such proper lyricist stuff. That’s what we learned on – proper lyricists that just crafted. I mean, that was [Bernie’s] job – a lyricist. He met Elton John because ‘Melody man needs lyricist.’ Being inspired by the creative side, really.
Haircut 100 were very inspirational for me. I was a band kid, playing saxophone, and I dug the horns and the stellar musicianship. Thank you for sharing a little bit of what was inspiring you at that time.
Yeah, it’s a musical thing. It’s inspiration, isn’t it? That’s what’s so lovely about it, you just pass it on. I’m constantly amazed when we get complimented on the fact that we’ve inspired people. You just think, ‘Wow, I know what that feels like,’ because I’ve been inspired. It’s really heartwarming to get that, to know that you’ve done that.
When we saw that Pelican West was in the top 100 albums in America, we just thought, ‘What? What is it?’ We were just doing what we love doing at that time. Everybody in a band plays their part. I was there thinking up words, things that were just, ‘Why?’ And Les was coming up with these bass lines out of nowhere. He didn’t know why he was coming up with them either.
Once Blair [Cunningham] joined, we thought we could possibly be the band that we could. He was American, from Memphis, and he really could play the drums. We thought he was the best drummer in the universe. At the time, he was definitely the best drummer in the UK. There was no one to touch him; he was out of this world. We saw him and said, ‘Please, would you join our band? He was like, ‘Yeah!’ That was it. He was in.
Haircut haven’t toured North America in 40 years? How come, and why now?
Well, we did a 40th anniversary. We’ve got back together in the last 40 years, but we haven’t been able to remain together, because we’ve never had a manager. That was why it ended in the first place, because we didn’t have any rudder, we didn’t have any sails. Imagine a football team without a manager – it’s not going very far.
This time we got together to do the 40th anniversary, and then I booked a gig. It was at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Then BBC Piano Room said, ‘Would you like to come in and do a session?’ So, gradually coming together, evolving again. Everybody that wanted to be in it was in it; nobody who didn’t wasn’t. Then a management company, out of the blue, said, ‘Do you want some help?’ We were like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. Yes, absolutely.’
That’s why we’re doing a tour now, because we’re staying together. And it’s great. It’s rekindled Les and Graham and I’s relationship, because we were the guys right from the beginning, sitting around the coffee table who started this dream, in the Ski Club of Great Britain – and in many rehearsal rooms up and down the Beckenham High Street. We’ve been carrying the dream of one day shaking imaginary audiences’ hands, living together in one flat like the Monkees. Going out and dressing as a band, going to see whoever was happening at that time. I was so inspired. [Then] going back and talking for hours in the kitchen about what we’re going to do, and then getting to play places, getting proper gigs. And then it happened.
That’s why we’re here. When we go on stage now, we’re back at that coffee table. This is our dream, and we’re still doing it at this age. It’s quite astounding, quite something, and really, really delightful. You look around to Les on the stage now, and Graham looks around – we know each other so well.
And people are still digging your stuff all these years later. Will you be doing primarily Pelican West material?
Yeah, that’s all we have. But we’ve got a new single, “The Unloving Plum,” so we’ll be doing that. That has been great. It’s been recorded as Pelican West was, with Blair in the drum booth and Les, Graham, and I sitting in the control room funking – playing together. Getting that live element, that performance in the room, and recording it. Then adding some brass and some percussion, and then you have Haircut 100. It sounds fresh as a daisy, it really does.
It’s funny, because we’re being recorded by Sean Read, a lovely, lovely man who’s in Dexys Midnight Runners. He’s got a studio in his house in Hackney. We went in to do three, and we ended up doing ten [songs], because that’s pretty much what Haircut’s like. It’s like, ‘Got any more Nick? Well, I got this idea.’ Before you know it, it’s another one. And he’s like, ‘Ah, I get it now. I’m in the room with Haircut 100 now. I can feel it. I see what it is now.’
We don’t know what it is really, it’s just years of being together, and this magic that we have when we’re in the studio – it just starts to happen. It’s lovely. I don’t want to do anything else, and nor does Graham or Les. Blair’s joining us as much as he can. He’s in on the recordings, but he’s not able to make the American tour sadly, because he’s got some health issues, but he’ll be there recording. It’s that thing of the nucleus of the friendship, as well. It’s just so good; it really is a good thing to have. And as older guys, we’ve sorted out all of our stuff, so there’s nothing there except love, and where’s your socks? [chuckles]
I understand you’re bringing a brass section with you on the North American tour. What else can we expect from Haircut this time around, on your triumphant return to our continent?
Well, this is dipping our toes in, because we’re a guest. We’re on first, and we’ve got a half an hour. So we’re just going to say hello, whiz through the hits, and probably play the new song, “The Unloving Plum,” and then say, ‘Toodle-oo, glad you enjoyed it.’ We have no choice but to go like the clappers when we get on stage. That’s the thing – the music takes you over. There’s no laid back in Haircut 100; it’s just pure excitement all the way.
The music you made with Haircut was so important to so many of us, at such a key time in our lives. What can you say to people who might not be aware of the great stuff that you’ve been doing since then?
That’s what I love about social media right now, is the fact that you can listen to all this stuff. You can check out the other stuff that I’ve done. It’s like, things from the past look better when you’ve got rid of all of the things that were surrounding them. They just look really nice and fresh, like a fresh tomato, or like a really fresh banana in a fruit bowl.
Haircut One Hundred’s North American summer tour with Howard Jones & ABC begins August 14 in Redmond, Washington.
Keep up with Nick on nickheyward.com, follow him on Instagram @nickheyward, as well as the other usual social platforms.
