MusicBox - The Beautiful South - Made Beautiful Again.
Oct, 7 2024
Amidst the heavy blend of synth pop, new romantics and baggy indie music came a collective force with whimsical and often profound lyrics we can all relate to.
Recruiting two former members of Hull group The Housemartins, were the English pop rock group The Beautiful South. Formed in 1988 by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway the band went on to have great success over almost 20 years.
Their debut album came in 1989 with ‘Welcome to the Beautiful South’ a polite introduction to a record that produced three hit singles demonstrating their skill at songwriting and musicianship. Themes included nationalism, domestic violence, football hooliganism and the self-serving industry of love songs.
The follow-up, 1990’s came thick and fast ‘Choke’- gave another three hit singles. The band’s only number one song a duet called ‘A Little Time’ featuring Dave Hemingway and Briana Corrigan. The music video, featuring the aftermath of a domestic fight, won the 1991 Brit Award for Best Video.
Let’s remind ourselves why –
Time passed rapidly fast, in the following 15 years all this took place –
- Further hit records
- Jacqui Abbott joins
- Compilation release
- Abbott departure
- Alison Wheeler joins
- Final album
Following a band meeting on 30th January 2007, The Beautiful South decided to split. It’s thought that musical differences resulted in their closure as a band.
In June of that year the band's music was featured in a jukebox musical entitled The Slide (the book is by Adrian Davis); it premiered at the Phoenix Theatre at New College, Swindon.
In 2009, band members Dave Hemingway, Alison Wheeler and Dave Stead joined with regular Beautiful South session musicians Damon Butcher, Gaz Birtles and Tony Robinson to form The South, performing the music of the Beautiful South as well as releasing a new album, Sweet Refrains, in 2012.
In 2013, Paul Heaton reunited with former Beautiful South vocalist Jacqui Abbott to perform as Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott.
Paul still writes and records music to this day. His new album comes out this Friday 11th October entitled, ‘The Mighty Several’. His most recent performance was during a rain soaked Sunday at Radio 2’s ‘In The Park’ – Moor Park Preston last month (September).
To find out more information including his winter tour simply visit the following website link –
Songwriting is a real skill. Heaton is like a Dylan in the modern era, he can tell a story in a poetic fashion in the form of a song and the listener can really fully comprehend the concept behind the drums, bass, pianos and guitars that drives the track forward resulting in a modern day piece of brilliance for all to enjoy.
The Beautiful South made the south beautiful by their great delivery of a song that wasn’t merely thrown together it was done with beauty and skill. Hence, The Beautiful South.
^Alex Ashworth CCG UK Blogger
