Fairground Attraction are a London-based folk and soft rock band. They are best known for the 1988 hits "Perfect" and "Find My Love", both from their debut studio album, The First of a Million Kisses. The band won two Brit Awards in 1989, but broke up the following year to pursue solo careers. They reformed in 2024.
Fairground Attraction | |
|---|---|
 left to right: Reader, Dodds, Edwards, Nevin | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1987–1990, 2024-present |
| Labels | RCA |
| Members |
|
| Website | www |
Career
Fairground Attraction were formed in London in the mid 1980s, consisting of Mark Nevin, singer Eddi Reader, Simon Edward and Roy Dodds. The sound they developed together blends elements of folk, jazz, country, and cajun styles.
In 1987, they were signed to RCA Records. Their first single, "Perfect", was an immediate success and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.[1] It was also nominated for the prestigious Ivor Novello 'Best Song Musically and Lyrically' award.
The album The First of a Million Kisses followed in 1988, with all but one of its songs written by guitarist Nevin. It entered the UK Albums Chart at #3 and peaked at #2, eventually being certified double platinum. RCA released three other singles from the album: "Find My Love" (which reached #7), "A Smile in a Whisper", and "Clare". At the 1989 BRIT Awards, "Perfect" won Best British Single, and The First of a Million Kisses won Best British Album.[1]
The group found an especially devoted following in Japan, where they toured in 1989.
The band split up in January 1990 whilst in the midst of recording a follow-up album; Reader and Nevin do not agree on what prompted their disbanding. The album Ay Fond Kiss was released by RCA in June of that year, but it was not the intended second album the band had been working on. Instead, it was a compilation of B-sides and other material recorded alongside their first album, many being collaborations by just two band members. A cover of Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight" was released as a single and became a minor hit.
Nevin later recorded material intended for the original second album with Brian Kennedy, and released it under the name Sweetmouth in 1991. He later worked with Morrissey, co-writing most of the Kill Uncle album.[2] He also worked with Kirsty MacColl again, before embarking on his own solo career. Reader continued to perform as a solo artist,[1] occasionally working with Nevin over the years.
In December 2023, Reader announced on her Facebook page that Fairground Attraction would reform for a Japanese tour in 2024.[3] The band subsequently announced new music[4] and a UK tour on the band's Facebook page.[5] They debuted a new single, "What's Wrong With The World ?" on 24 March 2024, and followed suit on 12 June with the title track of the forthcoming album, "Beautiful Happening". Both songs featured a brand new music video and earned rave reviews.[from whom?]
Personnel
- Eddi Reader – vocals, acoustic guitar, concertina
- Mark E. Nevin – electric and acoustic guitars
- Simon Edwards – guitarrón
- Roy Dodds – drums, percussion
Tour personnel
- Roger Beaujolais – percussion
- Graham Henderson – percussion, accordion, acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] | AUS [7] | AUT [8] | CAN [9] | FIN [10] | GER [11] | NED [12] | NZ [13] | SWE [14] | SWI [15] | US [16] | ||||
| The First of a Million Kisses |
| 2 | 9 | 17 | 57 | 13 | 38 | 29 | 19 | 6 | 18 | 137 | ||
| Ay Fond Kiss |
| 55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
- The Collection: Fairground Attraction, featuring Eddi Reader (1994)
- Perfect: The Best of Fairground Attraction (1995)
- The Very Best of Fairground Attraction, featuring Eddi Reader (1996)
- The Masters (1997)
- 80s Eternal Best: Fairground Attraction Best (1998)
- The Very Best of Fairground Attraction (2004)
Live albums
- Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89 (2003)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [18] | AUS [19] | AUT [20] | BEL [21] | GER [22] | IRE [23] | NED [24] | NZ [25] | SWE [26] | SWI [27] | US [28] | ||||
| 1988 | "Perfect" | 1 | 1 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 80 | The First of a Million Kisses | |
| "Find My Love" | 7 | 86 | 3 | 24 | 22 | 6 | 30 | 34 | — | — | — | |||
| "A Smile in a Whisper" | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1989 | "Clare" | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Walking After Midnight" | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ay Fond Kiss | |
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Videos
- The First of a Million Kisses (1990)
- Collection of music videos: "Perfect", "Find My Love", "A Smile in a Whisper", "Clare"
- Live at Full House (1990)
- Live performances from German television show called Live at Full House:
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Smash Hits Poll Winners Party | Themselves | Most Promising New Act | Nominated |
| 1989 | Silver Clef Award | Best Newcomer | Won | |
| Ivor Novello Awards | "Perfect" | Best Song Musically & Lyrically | Nominated | |
| BRIT Awards | Best British Single | Won | ||
| The First of a Million Kisses | Best British Album | Won |
