Hazel O'Connor

On This Day 05/10/1981 Hazel O’Connor

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On this day, 5 October 1981, British singer/songwriter and actress Hazel O’Connor played Cardiff University.

She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles "Eighth Day", "D-Days" and "Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film Breaking Glass.

O’Connor had just released her second studio album Close Plus, produced by legendary producer Tony Visconti, which reached #32 in the UK album charts. The album spawned 3 singles, most notably a version of The Stranglers “Hanging Around”.

O'Connor was born in Coventry, England. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after the Second World War to work in a car plant. Her brother Neil later fronted the punk band The Flys, best known for their single "Love and a Molotov Cocktail", which she later covered.

Her film debut was in Girls Come First in 1975, where she was credited as Hazel Glyn. She became prominent as an actress and singer five years later in 1980 when playing the role of Kate in the film Breaking Glass. She also performed on the accompanying soundtrack.

On This Day 20/05/2009 Here And Now - Best Of The Eighties - Tour

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On this day, 20 May 2009, the Here And Now tour came to the Capital performing at the Cardiff International Arena.

The tour consisted of seven dates in the UK. Originally the tour would have had Boy George as headliner, but after he was sentenced to prison earlier in the year, he was replaced by Rick Astley.

Other acts included in the line-up were, Kim Wilde, Nathan Moore (from Brother Beyond), Hazel O'Connor, Altered Images, Howard Jones and Kid Creole & the Coconuts.

Set list and running order

Nathan Moore -

He Ain't No Competition

Be My Twin

The Harder I Try

Hazel O'Connor -

D-Days

Will You

Eighth Day

Kid Creole & the Coconuts -

Stool Pigeon

I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby

Annie I'm Not Your Daddy

Altered Images -

I Could Be Happy

See Those Eyes

Don't Talk To Me About Love

Happy Birthday

Howard Jones -

Pearl in the Shell

Things Can Only Get Better

Hide and Seek

Like to Get to Know You Well

What Is Love?

New Song

Kim Wilde -

Never Trust a Stranger

Cambodia

If I Can't Have You

Another Step (Closer to You)

Chequered Love

You Came

You Keep Me Hangin' On

Kids in America

Rick Astley -

Together Forever

She Wants to Dance With Me

When I Fall in Love

Take Me to Your Heart

Cry for Help

Whenever You Need Somebody

Never Gonna Give You Up

On this day 18/11/1980 - Duran Duran/Hazel O'Connor

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On this day, 18 November 1980, Birmingham’s New Romantics Duran Duran, played Cardiff’s Top Rank filling the support slot for Hazel O’Connor.

While on tour with O’Connor, a bidding war erupted between Phonogram and EMI to sign Duran Duran; the band eventually sign with EMI records, persuaded by A&R man Dave Ambrose, who had signed The Sex Pistols and Kate Bush.

John Taylor and Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran in Birmingham, England, in 1978, where they became the resident band at the city's Rum Runner nightclub. They were doing jobs at the club, John working the door and Nick deejaying for £10 a night. They began rehearsing and regularly playing at the venue. There were many nearby nightclubs where bands such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash played gigs; the most significant was called Barbarella's. They went on to name the band after "Dr. Durand Durand", Milo O'Shea's character from the sci-fi film Barbarella.

The band's first album, Duran Duran, was released on the EMI label in 1981. The first single, "Planet Earth", reached the United Kingdom's top 20 at number 12. A follow-up, "Careless Memories", stalled at Number 37. However, it was their third single, "Girls on Film", that attracted the most attention. The song went to Number 5 in the UK.