Iconic 80s band unrecognisable as they reunite on This Morning for first TV performance after bitter split 34 years ago
THEIR hit song Perfect is one of the most defining songs of the ’80s – even though things in the band were far from great.
But 34 years on, this pop band have reunited and are now on tour and making new music.
Appearing on This Morning today, Fairground Attraction were unrecognisable from their hey day as they spoke to Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard.
The band shot to fame in 1988 with Perfect, hitting number one on the UK charts winning two Brit Awards.
Their second single, Find My Love, also fared well, but cracks in the band had already started forming as they buckled under pressure.
However, in 1990 the band bitterly split, and haven’t been seen since.
Explaining why they broke up on This Morning, guitarist Mark Nevin said: “We we just young and foolish, weren’t we?”
Lead singer Eddi Reader then playfully put her hand over Mark’s mouth before quoting their own song by saying they felt “second best, and didn’t want anything less.”
When Ben asked if they weren’t ready for the attention they got, Eddi admitted: “Possibly, but I’m glad it happened because we created a friendship and a connection.”
She then said they reconnected while everyone was going through “the big science fiction thing”, referring to the Covid pandemic.
“It was a bit weird and a couple of us had a bit of a scare,” Eddi added. “It was alright, but I just realised anyway that what was really important was that we had a brilliant connection as friends, and that was what we were into in the first place.
“It didn’t matter if we were going to play together, that came after we just started to hang out with each other.”
“Forgiveness is such a powerful thing in life, and life’s too short to hold on to anything,” she added.
Following the split, Eddi went on to have a solo career, Mark worked alongside stars including Morrissey, while drummer Roy Dodds and guitarrón player Simon Edwards continued their career as session musicians.
In 2023, they announced the group will be reuniting, and they’ve since been on tour in Japan.
Now, they’ve announced a UK tour, starting in Wolverhampton on September 28, running through to October 18 at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.