Like Punk Never Happened - Brian McCloskey's Smash Hits Archive

09/15/2026

September 15, 1986 🎶

09/10/2026

09/08/2026

September 8, 1986 🎶

09/07/2026

"I was wearing a crimplene dress and because of my beehive, the headphones had to go under my chin."

‘I was trying to bring back some glamour. The backcombed hair was like architecture really. It took more than 45 minutes to style’

08/28/2026

The last Saturday in August is Play Music On The Porch Day 🎶

If any of you participate in or attend any performances, please share your photos / videos in the comments 🙂

Bonus points on offer if you play / see somebody playing songs from the pages of Smash Hits 🤣

08/28/2026

"True Confessions could have been Bananarama's Beatles for Sale – fame and fun sliding into a trough of tiredness and melancholy – but Bananarama were wise and knew something had to change."

In a parallel universe, Bananarama had the most impressive backstory in pop, steeped in rock credibility and indie cool. In that world, Sarah Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward were…

08/27/2026

I've been standing in the supermarket car park for ages, but I don't think he's really in there....

08/26/2026

"It did feel a bit like the Beatles – with a really, really young audience, young girls."

With their twangy sound, madcap outfits, l***y yodelling and pirouetting pirate frontman, the band became global superstars almost overnight. But, as their guitarist Marco Pirroni recalls, the thrill ride soon hit the buffers

08/25/2026

August 25, 1986 🎶