Nick Heyward

Born in Beckenham, Kent, England, on May 20, 1961, Nick Heyward exited Haircut 100 precisely as the group rode high on the British pop charts, yet the departure unexpectedly enhanced his creative reputation instead of curtailing it. He had launched the new wave band in 1980, and its profile quickly rested as much on the preppie outfits as on the MTV bubblegum numbers “Love Plus One” and “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl),” two of the decade’s most charming singles, both of which reached the U.K. Top Ten in 1982. After recording the sole Haircut 100 album Pelican West, he struck out alone.

His solo material shed much of the band’s adolescent gloss while preserving its melodic immediacy; the songs now carried more mature and introspective words, as heard on “Whistle Down the Wind” from the 1983 debut North of a Miracle. Although the 1980s solo releases made little commercial headway in the United States, North of a Miracle kept his British audience intact, a foothold later relinquished by Postcards from Home in 1986 and I Love You Avenue in 1988.

Four years of work as a graphic artist followed before he returned in 1992 with From Monday to Sunday on Epic Records and shared stages with Squeeze. The set contained the Beatles-like “Kite,” which surfaced as an unexpected hit on American modern-rock stations. Over the next two years he toured extensively, particularly in the U.S.A., supporting alternative acts such as Belly, Lemonheads, Mazzy Star, and Therapy?. Released in 1995 at the peak of renewed Beatles fascination, Tangled showcased abundant melodies and compelling lyrics that aligned him with the Fab Four and the wider late-1960s pop era.

After contributing to Edward Ball’s 1996 solo album Catholic Guilt, Heyward signed with Creation Records. His only release for the label, 1998’s The Apple Bed, framed his songs in a Brit-pop setting and appeared in the U.S. through Big Deal. In 2001 he issued Open Sesame Seed, which incorporated actor Greg Ellis reciting his poetry over musical backing.

Following a stretch of solo quiet, Haircut 100 regrouped briefly in 2004 for VH1’s Bands Reunited. Heyward resumed his own career in 2006 with the collaboration The Mermaid and the Lighthouse Keeper, recorded alongside vocalist India Dupre. While maintaining his graphic-design work and live schedule, he renewed contact with his former bandmates through social media and invited them onstage. The reunion gained semi-official status, culminating in a 2011 London performance of Pelican West that was preserved on record. Although fresh material was rumored, Heyward next completed a solo project. He began tracking at son Oliver’s studio, continued in Key West, and finished at Zak Starkey’s facility. The resulting 2017 album, Woodland Echoes, mixed folky love songs, straightforward pop, and classic guitar rock, and featured drumming from Haircut 100’s Blair Cunningham.