SMASH HITS, 1990

"HURRAH-NARAMA! WE'RE TEN YEARS OLD!!"

"Old, us, naah! We were very young when we started off in the group. I moved to London with Sara when I was 18, just ofter my A levels. It was ofter we were chucked out of the YMCA that we moved to a squat in Denmark Street, which is where the group began. Ten years is a long time to be around, and it makes us feel proud because if you look at the groups that were around at the same time as us years ago, they've either spilt up or don't have hits any more!"

KEREN'S TEN LEAST FAVE 'NANA SONGS!

1. 'Push' 2. 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' 3. 'Girl About Town' 4. 'Do Not Disturb' 5. 'Ain't What You Do' 6. 'Hey Young London' 7. 'I Want You Back' 8. 'One In A Million 9. 'Love Generation 10. 'White Train'

The first single 'Aie A Mwana' was sung in Swahili, what does it mean?

"Well, Siobhan had this theory that apparently it meant 'come on mothers and fathers and children, let's get up and dance!' or something like that! When we released that single we weren't given any money or anything you know! We were just happy and excited to have a record out!! Luckily Terry Hall from the group Fun Boy Three heard it and called us up!"

What have been the low points of the past ten years?

"There have been millions of lows and highs! It's really difficult to say! I remember promoting 'I Heard A Rumour' was just brilliant! You always remember the best times when you look back through old photographs; we used all the ones from the time of 'Rumour' on the inner sleeve of 'WOW!'."

What's the most memorable Bananarama video?

"The video for 'Cruel Summer' was a memorable one, because we'd never been to New York and we were determined to get there by hook or by crook! We ended up using any director that could get us out there with a budget of £10,000! We really enjoyed making it, but there's one bit where me and Sara are sulking by these petrol pumps because we noticed that the director was featuring Siobhan rather heavily. But we took control by the end of the day, as you do!!"

Do you read horoscopes?

"Oh yes! (At this point Sara interrupts... "She buys bloody books on it!") I'm very much into seeing fortune-tellers and people! I went to LA with a load of friends including George Michael and he persuaded me to go and see this woman! She was fabulous! There was no way she knew who I was, but she told me things about myself that only I knew! She told me I was unhealthy. She changed my life, honestly!"

Sara has been quoted as saying you're a bit of a duff driver!

"Ha! Hmm ... I suppose my driving is a bit dodgy. I'm not very good at judging distances and people's feet and stuff!"

Have you ever been mistaken for a witch?

"Err, no. Sorry!"

"Arghh, don't remind me! I used to get celled Twizzle because I grew really quickly and was much taller than everyone else! Twizzle was a cartoon character on the telly who used to be able to grow as tall as he liked!! All the kids in my class somehow saw a resemblance, I hated it!"

TEN OF JACQUIE'S FAVE ARTISTS!

1. Bros 2. Curiosity Killed The Cat 3. The Doors 4. The Adventurers 5. Prince 6. Wendy & Lisa 7. Roxy Music 8. Jill Jones 9. The Four Tops 10. The Temptations

What were you doing before you joined the 'Nanas (Jacquie replaced Siobhan three years ago)?

"I've had millions of jobs from working in on advertising agency to managing nightclubs. I got sacked from working in Wimpy for having a sugar lump fight in the kitchen then for years I worked in Boy (trendy clothes shop) down the King's Road. All I really wanted to do though was be in a band, which is why I formed a group called The Shillelogh Sisters! Me and my mate Lindo had boyfriends in groups and we used to hate being left in on our own when they were playing gigs, so together we formed The Shillelaghs! It was really good fun and we had two singles out on CBS, but our music was directed at a small market (it was rockabily music, aherm!) so we never made the big time! I remember thinking that all I wanted to do was be in a pop group like Sara, Keren and Siobhan who I knew at the time. I did have another group celled Max Attraction just before I joined The Rams, we supported Garry Glitter once you knowl!!?"

TOP TEN 'NANA SAYINGS!

1. "It was a nightmare!" - Karen 2. "I'm very creative!" - Sara 3. "Pass the Twiglets!" - Jacquie 4. "I'm just cynical!" - Sara 5. "There were some classic shots!" - Keren (on old Bananarama videos) 6. "I look fabulous!" - Sara 7. "I don't even know Stefan Dennis!" - Jacquie 8. "Something very light" - Sara (when asked her weight) 9. "I didn't know that?" - Jacquie 10. "Hic!" - All!

Was replacing Siobhan difficult?

"Yes, she was a hard act to follow, but I've settled in fine now! I was scared at the beginning because I didn't know what to expect, but because we all get on so well, it was just a good laugh!"

How do you see the future for Bananarama?

"Well, we're just finishing off an album, which will be my first proper one with the group. We've recorded loads of tracks, but we're still doing more because we've waited so long to put it out that we want it to be perfect. 'Preacher Mon' is the second single that we've done with Youth, but we also did some songs with Jolly and Swain who produced the earlier Bananarama singles and a guy called David Z who's worked with Fine Young Cannibals. I think we'll be around for another ten years!"

And another tour perhaps?

"Yes, definitely! We had the best time of our lives touring, and we're desperate to do it again! Everyone said we'd hate being on the road but we loved it! We got up to oil sorts of pranks; one night I wheeled a trolley full of food down a corridor in a hotel, at 4 o'clock in the morning!! (!) This year we want to go to places in Europe because we sort of left them out last time, gulp!"

Have you ever been mistaken for a witch?

"Yes when I was younger! Some boys down my road thought I was one so they tied me to a tree and threw stones at me! It wasn't a very nice experience I can tell you, in fact I've still got a scar from then to this day!!"

"Why are you asking me that?"

SARA'S TOP TEN ANYTHING

1. Club - The Milki Bar 2. Film - I'm Gonna Git You Sucker 3. Friend - Mel (the 4th Banana) 4. Shoes - Trainers 5. Shop - Sainsburys (in Camden) 6. Drink - Tea 7. Food - Chinese 8. Holiday - Mexico 9. Bananarama single - 'Rough Justice' 10. Comedy Act - French & Saunders

Because you knitted a whole range of Bananarama wear in 1983 for 'Na Na Hey Hey'!

"No I didn't. We each mode a top which consisted of two squares sewn together at the seems! I only wore it once, so why are you talking about it now!! Ha, no I haven't made any more recently in different colours, that was something that was good for then, not so much now!"

When you make videos and have photo shoots do you choose the clothes yourself?

"We always decide what we're going to wear ourselves, but sometimes we get people in to pick out clothes to choose from. For our lost photo shoot, and for the 'Preacher Man' video, we used a stylist celled Anne Witchard who used to run our fan club years ago! We always admired her taste in clothes, so we got her to get some in for us. Then we lust took our pick out of her selection.

Is the new album a definite departure from S/A/W?

"When we finished our tour we went to them to write some new tracks, but we weren't really happy with the result! There was one song called 'Ain't No Cure For Love' which we're using on the album. We sent it off to someone else to have it remixed, but no matter what you do to it it's so obviously out of that stable! We just felt we needed a change, and with Youth we get to try out all sorts of different things."

THE 'NANAS' TOP TEN EVER!

1. Coronation Street 2. The Les Dennis Show 3. Brookside 4. Neighbours 5. Documentaries 6. Wild Life shows (for Sara) 7. Auf Wiedersehen Pet 8. Top Of The Pops 9. 3-2-1 10. Minder

Didn't you used to go out with Youth?

"Yes I did, but that was quite a long rime ago now!!"

Do your neighbours ever complain about you?

"Yes, all the time! If my car's parked six inches too near their house ... anything! Keren has the best story! Her neighbours chopped her gorgeous fig tree in the front of her garden down to o stump. She was livid!!"

Have you been abroad much recently?

"We went abroad a bit to do promotion for 'Only Your Love' because it did quite well in Europe! We also went out to LA to meet producer David Z. That was quite good! We were staying in these little apartments within a hotel, and my room caught fire! I'd just got up, and I put some bacon on the stove for my breakfost. I completely forgot about it and I went next door to talk to Keren. The next thing I knew my whole room was alight, and the whole hotel hod to be evacuated. I lust stood and laughed, which is what I do when I'm in a panic. Did I ever get my bacon? Err, no."

Have you ever been mistaken for a witch?

"No, certainly not!!"