Fairground Attraction

The British-Scottish band Fairground Attraction had one of the biggest hits of the 1980s with "Perfect," an irresistible Number 1 in the UK (and various other parts of the world) that triggered the runaway success of their debut album The First Of A Million Kisses. The focal point was Eddi Reader, who fought her way out of the slums of Glasgow to busk on the streets of London before joining Gang Of Four, touring with Eurythmics, and becoming a regular session singer. A meeting with songwriter Mark E. Nevin resulted in the formation of Fairground Attraction in 1987. Based in London, England, and originally called "The Academy Of Fine Popular Music," the group struck it big with "Perfect," an easy, good-time song rooted in skiffle music. They followed it with another Top 10 single, "Find My Love," but despite the subsequent success of the album The First Of A Million Kisses, Reader hated the trappings of her newfound stardom and the band split while recording their second album. One more album, Ay Fond Kiss, was eventually released in 1990 and earned a modest hit with a cover of Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight." Nevin went on to work with Brian Kennedy under the name Sweetmouth, while Reader launched a celebrated solo career and was awarded an MBE. The bandmates reunited in 2024 for a Japanese tour, a UK tour, and the comeback singles "What's Wrong With The World?" and "Beautiful Happening." The latter song doubled as the title track to their comeback album, Beautiful Happening, which debuted at number 58 on the Japanese charts that summer.