Bananarama are heading to Wales next summer for two huge outdoor shows as part of their Too Hot To Handle Greatest Hits Summer Tour.
The iconic pop group will headline Live at Llangollen Pavilion on Sunday, July 4, before heading to Cardiff Castle on Saturday, July 10 for a second Welsh date.
They will be joined at both shows by special guests Tony Hadley and Altered Images, bringing together some of the biggest names and songs of the 1980s.
Bananarama recently celebrated 40 years since the release of their landmark studio album True Confessions, with a special anniversary edition reaching number six in the UK Album Chart.
The group holds the Guinness World Record for the highest number of chart entries by an all-female group and has enjoyed a career spanning more than four decades.
Announcing the shows, Sara Dallin said: “Summer 2027 we are so ready for you! We can’t wait to perform all of our biggest hit singles and bring the Bananarama party to some of the UK’s most brilliant outdoor venues!”
Bandmate Keren Woodward added: “We promise a night of real 80s nostalgia and along with our special guests, guarantee an evening that will have everyone dancing and singing along!”
Bananarama have sold more than 30 million records and secured 10 UK Top 10 hits since bursting onto the music scene in the early 1980s.
Their catalogue includes Cruel Summer, Venus, Love In The First Degree, Nathan Jones, Robert De Niro’s Waiting and I Heard A Rumour.
The band’s popularity has continued across generations. In 2024, Bananarama released Glorious: The Ultimate Collection, celebrating more than 40 years of chart success for lifelong friends Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward.
Their Too Hot To Handle Greatest Hits Summer Tour will see them perform across the UK with a career-spanning set featuring some of their best-known songs.
Joining Bananarama in Wales will be Tony Hadley, whose distinctive voice helped provide the soundtrack to the 1980s as frontman of Spandau Ballet.
Hadley enjoyed worldwide success with the band, with hits including True, Gold, Only When You Leave and Through the Barricades. He has since enjoyed a successful solo career and continues to perform almost four decades after the beginning of his Spandau Ballet career.
Opening both Welsh shows will be Scottish new wave favourites Altered Images, fronted by Clare Grogan.
The band rose to prominence in the early 1980s and scored hits including Happy Birthday, I Could Be Happy and Don’t Talk to Me About Love.
The Live at Llangollen Pavilion show forms part of an ongoing partnership between Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor.
Artistic Director of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Dave Danford said: “One of the great strengths of our Live at Llangollen Pavilion series is the breadth of music it brings to audiences each summer, and this latest announcement adds another very different flavour for 2027.
“Bananarama, Tony Hadley and Altered Images have all enjoyed long and successful careers, with songs that will be instantly familiar to generations of music fans. Bringing them together for one evening adds even more variety to an already wide-ranging programme, and helps ensure there really is something for everyone at Live at Llangollen Pavilion next summer.”
The Cardiff Castle show is presented by promoters DEPOT Live and Cuffe and Taylor.
DEPOT Live founder Nick Saunders said: “Where better than the magnificent setting of Cardiff Castle than to enjoy a night with three legends of the 80s and beyond. This will be a brilliant night of music and nostalgia creating the perfect party atmosphere, and Cardiff certainly knows how to party!”
