Ever since Take That decided to relight their fire in 2006 bands all over the music spectrum have been picking up where they left off and getting back together. It seems reunions are the new thing and we’re being re-educated in how it used to be done, with the likes of Spandau Ballet, The Specials and The Prodigy all recording new material. Here, FemaleFirst has incorporated all the crooners, rockers and ravers you thought you’d forgot about but never stopped loving.
The Specials
Ska legends, The Specials gave us a surprise in December 2008 when they announced that they would be reuniting and going on tour for 2009. The Coventry group hit the road once more to celebrate 30 years since they scored their first top ten hit in The UK.
The 6-piece who kick-started the two–tone movement, a music genre that combines ska, reggae, rockstseady, punk rock and pop hadn’t officially worked together since 1981. Two-tone music was classed as the second wave to Ska and the seminal Brit Ska group often reflected on gritty issues with the likes of racism and politics in Britain. The Specials’ tour sold out despite original founder Jerry Dammers’ absence.
Spandau Ballet
These pop Lotharios were every girls dream during their heyday in the 80’s. Tony Hadley’s silky smooth vocals combined with the eye candy of blue eyed boy Martin Kemp, made Spandau Ballet a sure fire hit with teenage girls everywhere. They bagged 10 top 10 hits and became every girls dream men with their number one hit, ‘True’, which no doubt inspired its fair share of smooches!
Following much bitterness after they split in ‘89 the five-some finally decided to brush everything under the carpet and pull out the sharp suits one more time for their World Wide reunion tour. They sold out London’s O2 Arena in just 20 minutes.
Blur
2009 wouldn’t have been the same without the reunion of posh Brit pop gents, Blur. Damon and the fellas decided to give it one more shot after throwing everything into their separate projects. Damon started animated band ‘The Gorillaz’ with Jamie Hewlett, Graham Coxon had a flourishing solo career in the indie scene, Dave Rowntree studied to become a barrister whilst bassist Alex James moved to a farm in the Cotswolds and made, erm...cheese. He also worked as a newspaper columnist and broadcaster.
Graham Coxon and Albarn ended a bitter rift when they performed together for a special gig in the NME Shockwaves tour early this year. It was the first time the two had played together since Coxon split from the band in 2002.
Blur headlined Glastonbury this year and were awarded Best Headline Performance 2009 at this year’s UK Festival Awards.
The Strokes
Our favourite indie boys, The Strokes have finally decided to reform after a lengthy hiatus since 2007 while they had a much needed break and the opportunity to work on their own side projects. Albert Hammond Jr. went solo and gathered the ears of many a Strokes fan, Fabrizio Moretti came out with his new band Little Joy, to moderate success while the last of the side-projectors Nickel Eye also went it alone in the meantime.
The American indie-rockers started working on their fourth album in February this year and are due to headline RockNess and the Isle of Wight festival in summer 2010. These boys are no strangers to success and are expected to be huge once again. FemaleFirst predicts the beautiful boys of Indie rock and roll to be the biggest reunion of 2010.
The Prodigy
The Prodigy decided that we were lacking in disorientating strobe lights, the smell of smoke and hellish adrenaline this year so they came screaming back into the music biz with a little help from their late 2008 album ‘Invaders must die’; not to mention a whole bunch of 2009 festival gigs, including a headliner slot at Leeds and Reading Festival and perfectly old school performances at Glastonbury and Download.
The iconic ‘Firestarter’ trio released Invaders Must Die in November 2008 and it was their first studio album since their 2004 release and number one UK album, ‘Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.’ The international stars have sold nearly 20 million records worldwide making them the real winners in dance music history, beating the likes of Fat Boy Slim and The Chemical Brothers.
Limp Bitzkit
Mid 2008 rumours were teasing us with a supposed Limp Bitzkit reunion and later that year it was confirmed that the warring band were more disgusted with the state of the heavy music scene than each other and reunited.
In May 2009 the original line up of the band performed together for the first time in eight years and it was Limp Bitzkit’s first concert tour in 4 years. Their tour, called the Unicorns and Rainbows Tour ran through 2009 alongside their two UK festival dates at Download and Sonisphere.
FemaleFirst – Carla Pearce