Bananarama’s Original Lineup Reunites

Get ready to sing along to “Cruel Summer” and “Venus” – the original lineup for Bananarama is back together! With Siobhan Fahey reunited with Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, the British female pop group is preparing to hit the road in November. 

An announcement notes that this is the first time ever the original trio has toured together.  

Fahey’s return comes 29 years after she departed the group, which was founded in 1979. She last took the stage with Bananarama in February 1988 for a performance of “Love in the First Degree” at the Brit Awards. Since then she formed Shakespears Sister and released a solo album in 2005.  

Jacquie O’Sullivan joined Bananarama for a few years until Dallin and Woodward went forward as a duo.

But now the original trio is ready to sing in unison once again to hits like “It’s Ain’t What You Do …” and “Robert De Niro’s Waiting.”

– Poster for Bananarama

In an interview with British magazine i-D, Fahey explains that George Michael’s death in December made her reflect on the idea of the reunion.

“When George Michael died that was it for me,” Fahey said. “Because at our inception, there were a bunch of bands like us and Wham! who all went to the same clubs – it was a scene we were part of. It was all young kids who’d come out of punk who were just totally defining their own lives in a sort of hedonistic but innocent way, who were all obsessed with making cool pop music.”

Woodward added, “When you see something like that [George Michael’s death] happen, you just realize that life’s too short. You don’t know what’s going to happen in life, so you need to embrace it fully, and do as much as you possibly can.”

The U.K. reunion tour begins Nov. 12 in Glasgow, Scotland, with a gig at SEC Armadillo. The last stop on the routing is Dec. 2 at Cliffs Pavilion in 2 in Southend-On-Sea, England.  

A fan presale is ongoing. Tickets go on sale to the general public April 26 at 9 a.m. local time.

Visit Bananarama’s tour page to see the full routing.