Shhh. Don't say boyband...

Boyband was such a dirty word in the late 80s. You could have Andy Warhol direct your video, or SAW write you a hit. You could pretend you wrote all of your own songs, anything to NOT be tarred with the stigma of being in a boyband. But at the end of the day, you were hawt, young, pur-rity and had singles to flog. Face it honey, you were in a boyband...

Example 1
Curiosity Killed the Cat - Misfit

How good-looking were this band? This Andy Warhol directed video makes the most of their looks (especially Bendy Ben). And the fashion is so on trend for 2009. The band still insist they were pigeon holed into becoming pin-ups but funnily, never complained about the party lifestyle which followed!

Example 2
Brother Beyond - The Harder I Try

Again, this band look hawt. Nathan is the epitome of the late 80s good-looking fella: glossy, shiny, a No. 1 short back and sides with quiff and a floaty bolero-type jacket to top it off. He describes Brother Beyond as being a bona fide band before this SAW production provided them with their biggest hit (skip to 7.00 here).

Example 3
Bros - When Will I Be Famous

Bros never really denied they were a boyband until the odd one out, Craig Logan, was pushed. After that, they definitely weren't a boyband. Matt and Luke Goss were a brother duo who produced serious music. Yeah right. If only they had stuck to the brilliant pop they were good at, kept Craig - the brains who went on to manage Pink - and not go on to produce this serious rubbish.

And then there was Big Fun. Bless. A law unto themselves...