Band's globalsuccess story

It was a rainy day in 1984 when Paul Heaton and Ian "Stan" Cullimore took a break from busking and knocked on the door of the Yorkshire Post office in Hull. They wanted publicity for their big plans – and got it.

A first single, Flag Day, earned critical acclaim and nibbled at the charts 25 years ago. A string of hits followed before the band evolved into The Beautiful South. They went global, selling more than six million records.

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