By Ljubinko Zivkovic, Rock At Night Amsterdam
Review: Haircut 100 – Boxing the Compass – Release date: June 19, 2026
The story for comeback bands can be one of two things – either you still got it (that is if you ever had it), or it is complete shambles. No middle ground. On the comeback trail now – one of the best pop/rock hits of the eighties Haircut 100, who are just releasing a new album titled Boxing the Compass. It is probably no coincidence that the opening track here is titled “Come Back to Me,” and in the case of Nick Hayward and his revived crew, it turns out to be a deserved one.
Back in the early eighties when Haircut 100 released their now seminal album Pelican West, they came up with something of a classical pop/rock sound that combined all the finest elements of the popular sounds that came before them – from catchy melodies, vocal harmonies laced with the carefully picked elements from R&B and soul and that brass sound that just makes you move your feet.
So what is the difference now? Luckily, none. It turns out that Hayward and Co. have still got that touch that can create that all-day sunshine sound (no wonder they picked late June to release this one). It is catch melodies, great harmonies, that brass sound and some subtle rock touches all impeccably sung and played that still rule it for these guys and possibly all the right reasons for them to hit the charts again.
VIDEOS
Boxing The Compass Tracklist:
1. ‘Come Back To Me’
2. ‘Vanishing Point’
3. ‘Soul Bird’
4. ‘Raincloud’
5. ‘Sunshine’
6. ‘The Unloving Plum’
7. ‘Someone’
8. ‘That’s a Start’
9. ‘Dynamite’
10. ‘A Wonderful Life’
Live Dates
Haircut 100
Apr 27 – Southend UK , Chinnerys
Apr 28 – Oxford, UK – O2 Academy
May 1 – London, UK – Palladium
May 2 – Warwick, UK – Arts Centre
May 3 – Poole, UK – Lighthouse
May 7 – Cambridge, UK – Corn Exchange
May 8 – York, UK – Barbican
May 9 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
May 10 – Glasgow, UK – Pavilion Theatre
May 14 – Bath, UK – Forum
May 15 – Bexhill, UK – De La Warr Pavilion
May 16 – Basingstoke, UK – The Anvil
May 17 – Lincoln, UK – Engine Shed
Jul 5 – Guilfest, UK – Guildford
Jul 17 – Hampton, UK – Hampton Court Picnic Concert
Jul 25 – Dundee, UK – 80s Calling!
Aug 8 – Darlington, UK – Discovery Festival
With Squeeze and Adam Ant:
Aug 18 – St. Augustine, FL – The St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Aug 19 – Clearwater, FL – BayCare Sounds
Aug 20 – Hollywood (Miami), FL – Hard Rock Hollywood
Aug 22 – Atlanta, GA – The Fox Atlanta
Aug 23 – Cary, NC – Koka Booth Amp
Aug 25 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl
Aug 26 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall
Aug 29 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
Aug 31 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amp
Sep 1 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion
Sep 3 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
Sep 4 – Huber Heights, OH – The Rose Music Hall
Sep 5 – St. Louis, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
Sep 6 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia
Sep 8 – Denver, CO – Fiddlers Green
Sep 11 – Redmond, WA – Marymoor Live
Sep 12 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Sep 13 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Sep 15 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
Sep 18 – Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley Casino
Sep 20 – Phoenix, AZ – The Mesa Amp
Sep 22 – Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust
Sep 23 – San Antonio, TX – The Majestic
Sep 25- St. Louis, MO – St. Louis Music Park
Sep 26 – Louisville, KY Bourbon & Beyond
Sep 27 – Detroit, MI – The Masonic Theatre
Nick Heyward Solo:
May 3 – Huddersfield, UK – Let’s Rock
Jun 27 – Leeds, UK – 80s Classical
Feb 27 – Mar 6- 80s Cruise (New Orleans – Mexico – Belize – New Orleans)
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- Review: Haircut 100’s album ‘ Boxing the Compass’ - June 18, 2026
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