Nineties pop frontwoman, 52, has barely aged a day in 28 years since hit song – as she reunites with indie icon
THEIR biggest hit never fails to dish out a fuzzy dose of 90s nostalgia whenever its spacey tones ooze through speakers.
Nearly three decades after Dubstar released the dreamy Stars, frontwoman Sarah Blackman, 52, looks like she’s barely aged a day.
The singer, who joined the North East group in 1993 and took over vocal duties from Steve Hillier, fondly remembers the group’s heyday.
Earlier this year the band shared footage from an appearance on Top of the Pops to mark the anniversary of their first top 20 hit in the UK.
The Dubstar Instagram account wrote: “Celebrating 28 years this week since Not So Manic Now took us into the top 20.
“We remember it – do you?!”
Fans certainly hadn’t forgotten.
One person posted: “Remember it? How could I ever forget. This and Stars have stayed with me, all these years
Another said: “You’ve not aged a single second, gorgeous gorgeous Sarah! Eyes for days. Icon!”
A third wrote: “The voice! The music! The eyelashes! That mic stand! An arrow went straight into my heart when I first heard this song, and like many others, I taped this performance off the TV too! Still remarkable after all these years!”
Dubstar released their first album, Disgraceful, in 1995 after recording the LP with Pet Shop Boys producer Stephen Hague.
The album reached number 30 while its singles fared even better with Not So Manic and a re-release of Stars both cracking the top 20.
They achieved the feat again in 1997 when No More Talk charted at number 20.
Those heady 90s days are all a bit of a blur now to Sarah, who called the period “insane” in an interview with NME.
Recalling memorable moments from the era, she said: “At the first party we went to, Björk was running around with her little hands on her head pretending they were horns and charging into peoples’ stomachs pretending to be a bull.”
She then revealed her brutal assessment of the Spice Girls before they achieved superstardom.
Sarah explained: “And then there’s the unforgettable sight of the Spice Girls sitting crossed-legged gazing up at me as I sang live at an industry do where us, them, and Kavana were entertaining people at the EMI pressing plant.
“The Spice Girls hadn’t released anything yet and I was standing next to Simon Fuller. As we watched them perform, he asked: ‘What do you think?’ – to which I responded: ‘I think they’re the biggest piece of sh*t I’ve ever seen!’ Weeks later, they were the biggest pop sensation since the Beatles!”
In 2002 Sarah formed electronic group Client with Kate Holmes and, despite limited commercial success, they worked with some big industry names.
Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore and The Libertines’ Carl Barât and Pete Doherty were among the collaborators.
“The beginnings of Client was bonkers in itself,” said Sarah. “The band Technique had lost their singer, and were due to support Depeche Mode in three weeks, so it was suggested I step in and meet with [Technique’s] Kate Holmes. So my first gig was in front of 45,000 Depeche Mode fans in Germany, and I was terrified.”
One of Sarah’s more recent social media pictures saw her on a night out with indie hero Emma Anderson from the 90s band Lush.
Rising to prominence at the same time as Dubstar, Lush came to an end in 1996 after drummer Chris Acland died by suicide.
The tragedy followed the band’s album Lovelife reaching the top 10 of the UK chart.