You're History?

Manchester will once again shake under the collective feet of passionate pop pixies Bananarama as they launch the newly refurbished Hard Rock Café tonight. Yes. Bananarama. In Manchester. Tonight! But before you throw down your keyboard, grab your mitts and slap on your cagoule in a panic-stricken rush to get tickets read on a little, because while we may still be able to choke on the sugary smoothie that is the Bananarama live show, we can no longer indulge in a warm, comforting mug of the Bard's broads; Shakespears Sister.

The bonkers duo, comprising one-time Bananarama member Siobhan Fahey and mad-as-a-box-of-frogs singer Marcella Detroit, won us over with the power ballad to beat all power ballads, Stay. The reputation of this 1992 classic has since been marred by myriad dubious metal and European electro-pop covers and, though we're sad to say it, the Sister have been confined to the 1990s pop bargain bucket.

If you stick your head out of the window and listen carefully I’m sure you’ll hear me, and many others, screaming today's burning question... How and why has this happened? Stay, and it’s originating album Hormonally Yours, were big sellers in their day, beating the previous Sister release Sacred Heart and its flagship single You’re History. The main problem seems to be the unflappable ego of Fahey herself. Having conceived Shakespeare's Sister as a solo outfit she became increasingly annoyed as Marcella Detroit came to prominence. The fact that Detroit's vocal was the driving force behind Stay tipped Fahey over the edge and that, as they say, was that.

I wonder if the inspiring sight of the Bananarama girls continuing to flog that musical horse long long after it died will be enough to get Fahey to give Detroit a call (where she works at a small garden centre outside Dallas, so I’ve heard) and get the Shakespeare's Sister show back on the road. If not, the petition starts here.

Jordan Stead

Currently Listening to...
PJ Harvey – Is This Desire?
Cat Power – The Covers Record