Bananarama Looks Back: "Dresses Were Equipped With Chicken Wire - And Totally Extraordinary"

Bristols Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward were founding members of Bananarama. From teenage punks to club kids and mainstays of mainstream pop, the Childhood Friends, starring Siobhan Fahey, went on to become one of the most successful girl groups of all time with hits such as Venus, Love in the First Degree and Waiting by Robert De Niro. . As well as holding the record for most international hits for an all-female group, they are renowned for their changing line-up: Fahey left in 1988 and Jacquie O'Sullivan took his place until 1991, and Dallin and Woodward relaunched as a duo the following year. Their 12th album, Masquerade, is out July 22.

Keren

This photograph was a significant moment for us. We were on the set of Movin On', our first duo hit. Designer Roland Mouret was our art director and it was his idea to dress us in these outfits – they were equipped with wire mesh and totally amazing. I remember him saying that I had "a low waist" and wondering what to do with it. Did I have short legs? Was it an insult or a compliment? It's funny how things like that stay with you.

We had successful careers with Siobhan and Jacquie, and although we always got along with them, there had a sense of freedom in that she is ultimately just us. You could say it took a long time to come. Since school, we have always been each other's sounding board.

I remember seeing Sara for the first time in the playground . She had this gorgeous, thick, wavy hair tied in a ponytail, while mine was hanging just around my ears. I was envious, but also attracted to her. I thought, "I want to play with this girl." So we started hanging out at lunch together and joining the choir together. We were mischievous too, a bit cheeky. Doing stupid things like throwing paint out the window at the younger ones. When we became teenagers, it wasn't really about getting drunk - we wanted to see bands, experiment with fashion and go clubbing. At the end of the night, one of our fathers always came to pick us up.

When we were 18, the world was ours: we moved from Bristol to a YWCA in London, then stayed for a while with Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols on Denmark Street. It was a bit of a dump. There were no proper facilities - we had to boil an egg in a kettle, and the roof was still leaking - but it was so fantastic to be in the West End. That's when it all started. Paul suggested we do backing vocals for his band with Steve Jones, and said, "Why don't you do a demo?" That was it. Right place, right time, thank goodness. Otherwise, I would continue to work in the world of finance taking care of pensions.

My essential memories of the 80s with Sara are how much we laughed. We had ridiculous dance routines, and I wouldn't have gotten into it if it wasn't fun. I can't even understand doing this with someone who wasn't my best friend. Obviously, when things were bad, we could moan, but we never really argued. Our personalities work well with each other - Sara is quite impatient; I'm pretty laid back, but it's a give and take relationship as it grows, much like a marriage.

People said we were a bit intimidating. They see us moving as one being: twice as powerful. It's strange to me, because I think we're pretty normal. We were probably a little shy when we started and I think people assumed we were surly. But we just don't have airs and graces. We're not drama school types. Even now, when we have to make videos on social media, creating fake enthusiasm doesn't work for us. We're really into timing, though. Always the first to arrive.

When I lost my parents, Sara was there to put her arm around me. I feel a lot of emotion thinking about it, because it means a lot to have someone who has been there since childhood. No one else can understand all that I've been through, what we've done together. There is no subject that we cannot talk about. It's very special - and in many ways, I'm the happiest I've ever been. In the end, we have nothing to prove.

Sara

I especially remember Roland Mouret on this shoot. Every girl in the room was saying, “Wow! Look at this magnificent Frenchman. They were all in love with him. We were on top back then - Movin' On was a big hit for us and...