“Agadoo doo doo, push pineapple, shake the tree
Agadoo doo doo, push pineapple, grind coffee
To the left, to the right, jump up and down and to the knees
Come and dance every night, sing with a hula melody.”
Introduction
Those of us who are old enough to remember the 1980s will remember an era when you had to use a phone box to make an outside call, the bell calling time in the pub and television finished at midnight. In a time when people read newspapers and the milkman delivered their milk in glass bottles, and when it snowed, it snowed. Mrs Thatcher dominated the political scene, and double denim and shoulder pads were trendy.
Away from the music of Nick Kershaw, Paul Young, Madonna and Culture Club was a type of music that was rolled at birthday and Christmas parties with Boney M and Abba records. The band Black Lace was a massive hit in the 1980s, music that got your Mum and Grandmother’s feet tapping. Aided with a shandy, a glass of Blue Nun or a cheeky bottle of Babycham. Music that made you want to get up and do the conga at a holiday camp. Everyone knew the lyrics, and they were repeated until the early hours of the morning.
Shed a Tear
The sad news of the sudden death of Colin Gibb at the age of 70 will shed several tears. Colin was the most extended member of the band, retiring in 2024. It’s still popular at 80s weekends till the very end. Black Lace came to the fore in 1979 as the UK’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song “Mary Ann” finished seventh. However, the band was formed in 1976, when Glam Rock was the rage. Although their second single, “So Long Suzy Baby”, failed to succeed in the UK, the band became very popular in Bulgaria, East Germany, West Germany and Spain. Black Lace toured Denmark in 1980 with Susi Quatro as their support act and, despite splits, continued as a band.
Taking on a new manager, John Wagstaff, the band were briefly called Lace before reverting to Black Lace. Touring northern clubs and using pre-recorded backing tracks, Black Lace released “Birds Dance” in 1981, later copied as a political parody by Spitting Image in “The Chicken Song”. It was later renamed “The Birdie Song” and was a huge hit. It’s cheesy but trendy. It was followed by the 1983 song “Superman”, which reached number nine in the charts. The video was shot in Casanova’s Nightclub in Wakefield and featured a then-unknown singer, Jane McDonald. He was followed by the single, “Hey You!” which bummed despite being Radio One’s single of the week. “Superman” received a silver disc, and Black Lace toured Denmark with the Danish bands Laban and Snapshots.
The Big Time
Black Lace’s biggest hit came in 1984 with the release of “Agadoo”. An anthem of the 1980s that eased the hot summers and cold winters. It sold over one million copies worldwide and reached number two in the UK charts—a hit in Europe, Australia and South Africa. Sadly, the band saw only half of the record profits as their record distribution label, Pinnacle, went into receivership simultaneously. It was estimated that Black Lace lost a quarter of a million pounds in lost royalties.
The band followed this hit with “Do The Conga”. It reached number ten in the UK charts. The album Party Party sold over 650,000 copies in the first five weeks and achieved double platinum status. It led to several television shows in Germany, Luxembourg and Denmark. The single “El Vino Colapso” was less successful. It only reached number 42 in the UK charts and was banned by the BBC for its references to drinking abroad. A single was released at the same time as the Heysel Stadium disaster. Further releases of “I Speaka Da Lingo” and “Hokey Cokey” only reached number 49 and number 31 in the UK charts.
A band involved in the charity single “You’ll Never Walk Alone” along with The Who, The Hollies, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers, Thin Lizzy and others. A single that shot to the top of the charts and was organised to raise funds for the victims of the Bradford stadium fire. Yet further chart flops would come in the form of “Wig Wam Bam” and “Viva La Mexico” to celebrate the 1986 World Cup. Yet they did have a hit with their song “Gang Bang”, featured in the now cult classic 1987 film Rita, Sue and Bob Too. They also had a hit with their album Party Crazy.
A tour of Australia would ensue in 1992, but in 1995, tragedy struck when Alan Barton died on a coach trip in Germany while touring with Smokie. The band changed direction and became more of a group that appeared for the big occasions. A charity day in 1997 in aid of Marie Curie that was dubbed Agadoo Day with 20 shows in 24 hours in Manchester, London, Watford, Northampton, Sheffield, Barnsley, and Leeds, finishing at the Frontier Club, Batley, raised over £25,000 and was coupled with Peugeot using their Agadoo song in a commercial. The proceeds went to Marie Curie. A remix of the song called “Agadoo 106 mix” to promote the new model. The single spent a week in the UK chart.
A reunion concert would follow, with Black Lave being the first band to appear at the Millennium Dome in 2000. They were regulars at holiday camps. Sadly, Rob Hopcroft died after a fall in 2020, and Gordon King stepped down from the band in 2022 due to severe back issues. Colin Gibb announced his retirement in May 2024 with his last appearance at the San Eugenio Villa Adeje Beach Hotel in Spain.
