Haircut 100

Haircut 100 bring their crisp, rhythm-first pop to The Anvil in Basingstoke on 16 May 2026. Born in Beckenham at the start of the 80s around Nick Heyward, Les Nemes and Graham Jones, the band cut a distinctive path between new wave, new pop and jazz-funk: bright, chiming guitars, supple basslines, saxophone motifs and busy percussion that keep the songs lean and danceable. A flurry of early singles led to Pelican West in 1982, a snapshot of their tight, melodic writing. Nick Heyward’s departure in 1983 shifted the balance, with Marc Fox stepping up on vocals and the group pushing on to Paint and Paint in 1984 before calling it a day.

They reconnected sporadically from 2004, then more steadily between 2009 and 2013, including a London show devoted to Pelican West. Since 2023, the core has been back on stage with Heyward, Nemes, Jones and Blair Cunningham, sharpening that hybrid pop sound without losing its bounce. Live, the set leans into the early catalogue, where clean guitar lines lock with bass and percussion while Phil Smith’s sax adds a bright edge. It’s concise, melodic and built for movement, with arrangements that snap into place and choruses that stick. At The Anvil, Haircut 100 revisit the songs that defined their first run and show how that nervy, danceable writing still hits in the present.