Spike Dawbarn Explained

Spike Dawbarn
Image Upright:1.15
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Simon James Dawbarn
Birth Date:5 August 1974
Origin:Warrington, England
Occupation:Singer, dancer
Genre:Pop, dance-pop
Years Active:1988–present
Instrument:Vocals
Associated Acts:911, B*Witched

Simon James "Spike" Dawbarn (born 5 August 1974) is an English singer and dancer. He is a member of the boy band 911, who were originally active between 1995 and 2000 and had ten consecutive top 10 hits before splitting up in 2000. In 2012, 911 reformed for the ITV2 documentary series The Big Reunion, along with other bands from their time including Five, B*Witched and Atomic Kitten.

Biography

Early life

Spike Dawbarn was born in Warrington, Cheshire to parents Mo and Mike Dawbarn. He also has two brothers. Although he attended some dance college afterwards, his secondary education at Beamont Collegiate Academy ended at the age of sixteen when he could not get a grant to go to a London stage school. He had a brief spell as a bricklayer on a building site, a position from which he was sacked. He acquired the nickname 'Spike' because of his hairstyle.

The Hit Man and Her and 911

Dawbarn went on to become a dancer on the ITV late night dance show The Hit Man and Her. In this role he worked alongside 'talents' such as Jimmy Constable and Jason Orange.[1] In 1995, Dawbarn and Constable formed a partnership and teamed up with frontman Lee Brennan to form 911. Their first hit got to number 38 on the UK Singles Chart, with subsequent releases rising higher. Dawbarn choreographed a number of the band's dance routines.

PopSkool and after

Since 911's split in February 2000, Dawbarn has made a career joining the other band members in reunion tours. He was also director of a pop academy youth programme, PopSkool. PopSkool started in his home town of Warrington and has spread across the UK. It taught afternoon programmes in modern dance and vocal training to children between the ages of eight and sixteen. Dawbarn provided choreographic expertise and voice coaching is provided by Brennan.[2]

Dawbarn had several 911 reunions for touring and TV appearances, including in 2008,[3] 2012[4] and 2019.[5]

On 15 October 2009, Dawbarn appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcockss identity parade round, but Phill Jupitus's team failed to pick him out.

Personal life

Dawbarn has three sons, Phoenix, Teddy and Neo.[6] His niece, Lexy Dawbarn performed on stage with Justin Bieber and was on ITV1's Little Big Shots.[6]

He is a fan of Manchester United.[7]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1998Noel's House PartyHimselfEpisode #7.18
2005Hit Me, Baby, One More TimeSpecial TV show
2009Never Mind the BuzzcocksEpisode #23.3 - Mystery guest (1 episode)
2011Celebrity JuiceSpecial guest (1 episode)
2013The Big Reunion9 episodes
Big Brother's Bit on the Side1 episode (4 August)
3 episodes

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Review: 911 at The Ritz Manchester. Fitzpatrick. Katie. 27 March 2016. Manchester Evening News. Trinity Mirror. 3 March 2016.
  2. News: 2005-12-05 . Please sir, weren't you in a boy band? . 2022-12-16 . Manchester Evening News . en.
  3. Web site: 2013-10-05 . 911 singer Jimmy Constable saved from depression by love of St Neots woman - Latest News - Hunts Post . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131005081327/https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/latest-news/911_singer_jimmy_constable_saved_from_depression_by_love_of_st_neots_woman_1_2596773/ . 2013-10-05 . 2022-12-16 . huntspost.co.uk.
  4. Web site: Harvey . Joanna . 2012-10-18 . It's pop music heaven - Atomic Kitten, 5ive, Liberty X, 911 all to reunite for new TV show . 2022-12-16 . Daily Mirror . en.
  5. Web site: 2019-06-20 . 911 reveals reason for holding a concert in Malaysia after nearly 2 decades . 2022-12-16 . uk.movies.yahoo.com . en-GB.
  6. Web site: 2021-06-11 . Warrington 911 star Spike shows he's still got it, aged 46, with back flip at first gig since pandemic . Morgan . David . 2023-07-05 . Warrington Guardian . en.
  7. Web site: 2005-12-22 . Simon Dawbarn, aka Spike . 2023-07-05 . Warrington Guardian . en.