Closing their reunion tour at York Barbican, Haircut One Hundred put on their Favourite Shirts and gave a nostalgia rich delve into ‘Pelican West’ and brought Barbara along for the ride.

Words and Photos John Hayhurst

Brighton-based brothers Henry and John Tydeman who formed Barbara in 2021 have quickly established themselves as writers of intelligent, quirky, upbeat pop songs of the highest calibre. Think Lemon Twigs, Scouting for Girls or Divine Comedy. Add to that their infectious live act, and you have a winning formula.

They open proceedings with ‘Waiting Outside Alone’ and quickly won the crowd over with a lively set that included ‘Rainy Days in June’, and the excellent ‘These New Communications’.  Hopefully they will be back on a headline tour of their own soon, and they openly said how much they love York, so expect them to have a date in 2024 and make sure you catch them.

After a quick turnaround Haircut One Hundred took to the stage to rapturous applause from a crowd that had obviously been fans from the early days. The place isn’t sold out but there are a core group at the front who are waiting to dance like its the 80’s all over again. Surprisingly, it is standing on the ground floor as plenty of these nostalgic anniversary returns have been all seaters in the past.

Every single one of them came here to enjoy every minute of the next couple of hours and were not disappointed. Tonight’s set list of course drew heavily from their platinum selling album ‘Pelican West’ which saw them storm the charts and still sounds as fresh and vibrant as ever.

‘Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)’ puts in an early than expected appearance as the band settles into old grooves and friendships. Nick Heyward is looking trim and up for the celebration, voice is still very much intact and his trademark upbeat guitar riffs were complimented by the 3 piece brass ensemble. Old band comrades on guitars – Les Nemes and Graham Jones were also present but fourth member drummer Blair Cunningham is unfortunately not on this tour due to illness.

The songs came thick and fast interlaced with stories of friends writing tunes in the early hours sitting in each others kitchens. It was indeed like finding a favourite shirt, slipping it on and immediately feeling comfortable with who you are and where you are.

There was something for everyone tonight. The big band hits ‘Love Plus One’ and ‘Fantastic Day’, the Nick Heyward solo hit ‘Blue Hat For a Blue Day’ and even a cover of the Harry Styles smash hit ‘As It Was’.

Ending the night with an extended reprise of ‘Favourite Shirt’, it gave each member of the band a chance to showcase their individual talent whilst also demonstrating what a tight unit they are when it all comes together.

Whilst this is the end of their ’23 reunion tour, it isn’t the end of the story, I see ‘Rewind – 80’s’ type events on the horizon in 2024 so watch out for them popping up at a festival near you.