Black Lace

Forever associated with the ultimate cheesy singalong weddings/parties/karaoke favourite Agadoo, Black Lace made a career out of playing at holiday camps. Originally formed as a Yorkshire school band called The Impact, they underwent various personnel and name changes before settling on Black Lace - built around the duo Alan Barton and Colin Gibb - and came to prominence when chosen to represent the UK at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest in Israel with Mary Ann. They only finished seventh, but it formulated their future role as a party band specialising in Europop anthems - with a following all over Europe - and they had a big hit in 1983 with Superman. However, it was Agadoo in 1984 which sealed their reputation as kings of the nonsense chorus, though it was kept off the UK Number 1 slot by George Michael's Careless Whisper. Other equally simplistic singles followed as they joined the family entertainment circuit, though main man Alan Barton left in 1987 to join Smokie (and later died in a coach crash in Germany). Other members came and went, but the group recorded a new version of Agadoo in 2009 and continue to play occasional shows.