Bananarama formed in London in the early 80s, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward had been living in the YWCA which was about to close so were looking for somewhere cheap to live on a students wage. After a chance meeting with Paul Cook (ex Sex Pistols) at the club Studio 21 their problem was solved, he offered the pair a room above the Sex Pistols old rehearsal space in the legendary Denmark St. Charing Cross. The walls were covered with Johnny Rotten’s drawings of Sid and Nancy and Dallin and Woodward added their own names to the mural . The 17th century townhouse is now a Grade II listed building.

The teenagers used to come in after clubbing and plug the guitars in and party. Dallin and Woodward had their first taste of the music business recording demos with bands in the studios of Denmark St (previously used by the Rolling Stones, Bowie, Small Faces, Elton John). They also learnt to play bass and did backing vocals for fun for Paul Cook and Steve Jones new band ‘The Professionals’ and visited Richard Branson’s Manor Studios in Oxford for the recording of the album where they had dinner with the man himself and Lemmy from Motorhead. A whole new world was opening up !
Sara and Keren’s first appearance on stage was at the Camden Palace, London, singing backing vocals for their friend Vaughn Toulouse’s band Department S.

A singular talent for directing their own fate teenagers and childhood friends Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward met Siobhan Fahey when Dallin attended the London University of Arts (London College of Fashion) to study journalism. Drawn together by their similar distinctive look, monkey boots and back combed hair and a love of Patti Smith they became fast friends. Woodward was working at the BBC. The three of them started writing songs and jumping on stage with their art school friends bands. Supporting Iggy Pop at the ‘Rainbow’ Finsbury Park on one occasion.

Their first demo was a cover of ‘Black Blood’s’ ‘AIE A MWANA’ and sung in Swahili which they learnt phonetically. The band didn’t have a name at this point but they thought Bananas sounded tropical and Dallin, a big fan of Roxy Music looked through their song titles and found ‘Pyjamarama’.

The track was released as a demo and reached No 92 in the UK charts. One early radio play from legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel and it came to the attention of Terry Hall (ex Specials) and his new band Fun Boy Three. He contacted them and asked them to sing on some tracks of their new album one of which was ’T’AINT WHAT YOU DO’ their first Top 5. The Fun Boy Three returned the favour by singing on Bananarama’s first hit ‘REALLY SAYING SOMETHING’

The trio started writing and demoing songs and for the next five years Bananarama was everywhere and so were their hits. (SHY BOY’, ‘NATHAN JONES’, ‘I WANT YOU BACK’ ‘LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE’) They became international hot property when hits ‘CRUEL SUMMER’ , (which appeared in the film ‘Karate Kid’), hit the US Billboard Top 10 with the video shot in NYC, ‘I HEARD A RUMOUR’ No. 4, VENUS No.1 and ‘ROBERT DE NIRO’S WAITING’ paved the way for the now legendary meeting between the girls and the Hollywood superstar.