Five piece rock coverband, based in Surrey (UK), consisting of Bethany a.k.a. ‘Betsy’ (vocals), Mattia (guitar), Anthony (guitar), Lee (bass) and Rich (drums). They play live in the Surrey area with tracks by Rolling Stones, Kaiser Chiefs, Billy Idol, the Killers and Oasis. One of the tracks they also perform is Kim Wilde’s Kids in America.
Based in Leytonstone in London (UK), Banfi are Aaron Graham, Chris McCuaig and Joe Banfi. The band first formed in 2015 after a chance meeting for a short-lived project which never came to fruition. The trio stuck together and posted their debut single ‘Where We Part’ on Soundcloud. Further singles followed. The Jack Powell EP was released in early 2018. It featured a cover version of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Mercy Street’.
Also in 2018, they recorded a cover version of Kids in America.
The debut album Colour Waits In The Dark was released in 2020. Another album followed in 2024: Score for an Unmade Film: The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.
Each year since 1993, the British literary magazine Literary Review has presented the annual Bad Sex in Fiction Award to the author it deems to have produced the worst description of a sex scene in a novel. The award is symbolically presented in the form of what has been described as a “semi-abstract trophy representing sex in the 1950s”, depicting a naked woman draped over an open book.
The award was established by Rhoda Koenig, a literary critic, and Auberon Waugh, then the magazine’s editor. The aim of the award is “to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discourage it”. The enduring relevance of this rationale has been questioned, based on concerns about censorious public shaming (including online) of authors of serious literary fiction.
In 2018 the award was presented by the singer Kim Wilde at London’s In and Out club. The winner that year was James Frey for a scene in his book Katerina. The judges were especially convinced by an extended scene in a Paris bathroom between two of the book’s characters, Jay and Katerina that features eight references to ejaculate.
During the ceremony, Kim commented “What a kinky little gathering this is” and “I do feel slightly turned on”.
Unidentified studio act that has recorded a handful of cover versions, but their identity remains a mystery. They recorded cover versions of ‘Such a Shame’ (originally by Talk Talk), ‘I Like Chopin’ (originally by Gazebo), ‘Mary’s prayer’ (originally by Danny Wilson), You Keep Me Hangin’ On and You Came. All these tracks appeared on a compilation called Freestyle 80s, released in Germany in 2005.
Born as Bronnie Hughes on 27 July 1997. She grew up in Caldy, Wirral, England, where she attended Hilbre High School. Her father Mark is also a musician.
Pop-punk singer who initially rose to fame after winning the Ryan Seacrest Cover Song Contest with a rendition of 5 Seconds of Summer’s ‘Amnesia’. She recorded songs like ‘High school sucks’ and ‘Modern day Christmas’. Her debut EP called Social Rejex reached number 3 in the UK Rock Charts.
On 10 July 2018 she released a cover version of Kids in America as a digital single. Several digital releases followed in subsequent years.
Born as Petula Louise Brard on 25 March 1955 in Sorong, New Guinea. She moved to the Netherlands with her parents when she was eleven years old. Brard trained as an executive secretary at Schoevers. A short time later she was offered a job as a secretary at the public broadcaster. Here she was discovered in 1977 by Hans van Hemert and asked to join the newly formed girl group Luv’, consisting of three female singers, with which she had several national hits. In 1980 she left the group.
She moved to Los Angeles with her partner Carlo Nasi, and released three albums: All this way (1981), You’re in the pocket (1982) and Red Light (1986). Red Light featured a version of Dancing in the Dark. In January 1988, Brard was the cover girl of an issue of the Dutch edition of Playboy.
After her music career stalled, Patty moved towards TV, having presented a popular show on Dutch TV in the early Eighties already. She also did some acting in various Dutch productions. In 2005 she followed in Kim Wilde’s footsteps when she did a rigorous detox aided by colonic irrigations.
Swedish girl who in 2009 posted a series of songs online. Among them was a cover version of Kids in America.
The Butterfly World Project was a visitor attraction in the village of Chiswell Green, on the outskirts of St Albans in Hertfordshire, UK, dedicated to showcasing and promoting learning about butterflies. It opened to the public in spring 2009. The site comprised a butterfly-shaped chalk garden, wildflower meadows designed to provide a habitat for butterflies, a shop, cafe and plant boutique.
The site consisted of 27 acres of specially created habitats, tropical butterfly house, wildflower meadows and designer gardens, all highlighting the beauty, importance and fragility of butterflies.
On 27 March 2015, Kim Wilde opened the Music Meadow, a new attraction at the Butterfly World project. She bashed out a tune on the seven giant instruments made from recycled and household materials.
On 14 December 2015 the owners, Breheny Construction, announced that the project would close permanently, citing “a succession of trading losses” as the cause.
Successor to the BPI Awards, the Brit Awards were held annually from the mid-1980’s onwards. Kim made an on stage appearance in several editions.
On 11 February 1985, Kim Wilde was one of the guests. She was nominated for the award for Best British Female, but it was won by Alison Moyet.
On 9 February 1987, Kim Wilde was nominated for the award for Best British Female, but it was won by Kate Bush. Kim did announce the award for Best British Group, together with Jaki Graham, which was won by Five Star. Several pictures taken backstage appeared in the press, featuring Kim Wilde and Samantha Fox.
On 18 February 1990 Kim was not nominated for any of the awards, but she was one of the guests during the ceremony, which took place at the Dominion Theatre in London.
She also appeared on stage to present the award for Best British Male to Phil Collins. Backstage she was photographed with Adam Ant.
On 12 February 1992 Kim appeared on stage at the Dominion Theatre in London to introduce the award for the best British newcomer, Beverley Craven.
Song written, composed, and originally recorded by Joni Mitchell in 1970. It was originally released on her album ‘Ladies of the Canyon’. When it was released as a sing;e, it was a hit in her native Canada (no. 14) as well as Australia (no. 6) and the UK (no. 11). It only reached number 67 in the US in 1970, but was later a bigger hit there for her in a live version released in 1974, which peaked at number 24. The song was notably covered by Amy Grant in 1994 and Counting Crows in 2003. The song was also sampled in Janet Jackson’s ‘Got ’til It’s Gone’ (1997).
Kim Wilde performed the song live during a concert for Tilehouse Counselling centre in Hitchin, together with guitarist Benny Smith, on 27 September 2019. It was the only time she performed the song.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Ooh, bop-bop-bop
Ooh, bop-bop-bop
They took all the trees and put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
No, no, no
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Ooh, bop-bop-bop
Ooh, bop-bop-bop
Hey, farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don’t care about spots on my apples
Leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Ooh, bop-bop-bop (why not?)
Ooh, bop-bop-bop
Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door sway
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man
Now, don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Badgers are the UK’s largest land predator and are one of the most well-known British species. They are famed for their black and white stripes and sturdy body, using their strong front paws to dig for food and to perfect their hobbit-like burrows, called ‘setts’. You know if a sett is lived in as it is usually neat and tidy with clean doorways marked with piles of used bedding made up of dry grass and leaves. There will also be a particularly smelly pit nearby that the badgers use as a toilet! They feed on small mammals, birds’ eggs, worms, fruit and plants.
Badgers have a long history of cruelty and persecution in the UK spanning hundreds of years. To this day badgers remain one of the most persecuted of all species despite having one of the highest level of protection in law. From blood sports to development concerns, thousands of badgers become the victims of wildlife crimes each year.
Kim Wilde appeared in an episode of the ITV series Earth Dweller’s Guide on 30 August 1990 to focus attention on the plight of badgers. She interviewed various caretakers of badgers and a policeman.
Coincidentally, in the book Knitting Wildlife she appeared in a sweater with a badger motif.
Throughout her career, Kim Wilde has appeared in books. Some of these books were released by her music publisher, some got her involved as a model or as a writer, she has written a few books about gardening herself and recently there has even been an official biography. This page aims to bring together encyclopedia descriptions of books about, or with, Kim Wilde. Click on the links to find out more about the individual books.