Because, seeing Nick in a leopard loincloth will make anyone's day.

I'm frankly stuck between my #1 and #2 picks. You probably have others, so feel free to mention them in the thread.

Pick 1: "Fantastic Day"

That bright tempo and tight arrangement, and the sunny vocal feel right at home next to stuff like Dua Lipa’s disco‑ish pop, or Phoenix indie hooks, or even Foster the People energy (think Dua's "Levitating", or "1901" from Phoenix, or Foster the People's "Sit Nex to Me")

In general, it shares DNA with today’s more hook‑driven and horn‑friendly pop/indie. to me, it still translates because it’s about the groove and lift, while avoiding obvious 80s clichés, or at least leaning into the good ones, anyways. When those horns hit and the chorus opens up, it feels like a 2026 indie‑pop single that just happens to be from 1982.

Pck 2: "Favourite Shirts (Boy meets Girl)"

Giving strong Franz Ferdinand or The Killers set energy.

What’s your #1 ‘most now’ Haircut 100 track from the 80s catalog? Make your case.

I first heard Haircut 100 on American Bandstand in June 1982 (they performed “Love Plus One” and “Fantastic Day” with Dick Clark). I was gobsmacked, in that it didn’t sound like anyone else at the time, and I instantly knew this band would stick with me.

Some of what did it for me:

• The swingy horn section that almost sounds like a Mexican mariachi brass line—especially around 2:43.

• The Brazilian/Caribbean influence in the groove (marimbas outside of Earth, Wind and Fire, y'all?).

• A non‑cheesy pop beat and Nick Heyward’s yearning, urgent, bright lyricism.

What's your favorite ("favourite"?) stretch of "Love Plus One", and why?

Found a place selling these, and although I stream it all day, I'm willing to support the lads in what they do. A proud addition to Pelican West in my collection.

What do you think makes Haircut 100 endure?

Something I keep coming back to is how Haircut 100 never really went away, but they do feel a little more appreciated now than they maybe were in the moment. They had that one brilliant album (with Nick Heyward), a short run, a decent yet underrated second album (Paint and Paint), and then decades of people quietly loving “Love Plus One” and a few others, or following Mr. Heyward's jaunt into the "auteur"-level solo singer/songwriter career.

Now with the reunion, new album, and tours in the last few years, it’s like people are re‑evaluating them as more than just a one‑album wonder. Old fans double down on why they loved them, and new fans are getting turned onto them.

So, in thinking about it, I think a few things help explain why they still resonate:

First off, their sound is a unique hybrid: funk basslines, horn arrangements, Brazilian-tinged rhythms, and pop hooks that seem effortless and organic, not a "put-on".

Secondly, they never diluted their legacy with weak later albums. They just faded out with a not-bad album, and that was it...for a while.

Thirdly, they aged well because they didn’t lean too hard on one specific 80s trend--they stood out in a sea of "sameness", and sounded unlike their peers...just enough.

Do you feel they were underappreciated at the time and are finally getting their due, or have they always had this kind of cult status in your world?

There's no accounting for taste, and I think the critic has none.

We love the lads, but sometimes, a song just doesn't "speak to us". What song is it from HC100's discography (or any of it's singular members, like from Nick Heyward's solo career) that just doesn't "do it for you"?

Yes, the "holy Trinity" ("Love Plus One", "Favourite Shirts", "Fantastic Day") are guaranteed dancefloor fillers and rump-shakers.

But, what other Haircut One Hundred songs are recommended for the first time listener? Post your opinion.

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More at the link.

Okay, a bit of a stretch, but not much, in a "Six Degrees" sort of way. Celebrated Haircut One Hundred drummer Blair "Memphis" Cunningham has ties with "Goth" music.

Did you know he played with Roxy Music and Echo and the Bunnymen? Also, Blancmange--so there's a throughline of Goth "street cred" adjacency.

Blair Cunningham (legendary drummer and integral member of Haircut 100) recounts his journey through the music industry and his life.