Before they became one of the most iconic girl groups of the 1980s, Bananarama were just three friends living in a rundown flat above the legendary Sex Pistols rehearsal space in London’s Soho. Siobhan Fahey, Sara Dallin, and Keren Woodward shared not only a passion for music but also a fierce DIY spirit that would come to define their sound — a mix of punk attitude, pop hooks, and pure fun.

It’s the featured year on this week’s HOT Classic Countdown with Steve Bishop, taking place every Sunday from 12 to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM.

Their story began in 1981, when Sara and Keren — school friends from Bristol — reconnected with Siobhan, who was studying journalism. The trio found themselves at the heart of London’s post-punk scene, frequenting the clubs of Soho and rubbing shoulders with musicians like Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols, who offered them that now-famous loft to live in. With no heating and barely any furniture, they rehearsed there, using borrowed instruments and recording their first demos on cassette tape.

Their first big break came when they recorded a backing vocal for the punk outfit The Professionals. That collaboration led to their debut single “Aie a Mwana,” a Swahili-language disco track that caught the attention of Terry Hall from The Specials. He invited the trio to collaborate on his new project Fun Boy Three — resulting in the hit “It Ain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It)” and launching Bananarama into pop stardom.

From there, the hits rolled in — “Cruel Summer,” “Venus,” and “Love in the First Degree” — songs that defined the neon decade. By the mid-’80s, Bananarama had become a global phenomenon, known for their cheeky humour, unpolished charm, and for being one of the few all-female acts to write and perform their own material.

Did You Know?
At their peak, Bananarama earned a Guinness World Record for being the most successful all-female band in history — a title they held for decades. And despite lineup changes over the years, all three original members reunited in 2017 for a world tour that celebrated the band’s 35th anniversary.