Founded by brothers Ivan and Stefan Doroschuk in 1977, Ivan soon took responsibility for the songwriting and vocal aspects, and Stefan became the guitarist. Over Men Without Hats' history the band has seen over 25 members pass through its door since 1977, with Stefan, Ivan, brother and synth player Colin Doroschuk and Jeremie Arrobas remaining a unit for the longest period. In 1980, Men Without Hats released their debut EP “Folk of the 80’s”, however the personnel changed drastically for the 1982 full-length release of “Rhythm of Youth”. Led by the track “I Like” it was the subsequent single “The Safety Dance” which catapulted the band to international recognition. The single spent three weeks at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also proved popular in the UK, New Zealand, and South Africa. The studio album earned a string of positive reviews, spawning the subsequent singles “I Got the Message” and “Living in China”.
Following the arrival of Ivan and Stefan's brother Colin Doroschuk, Men Without Hats issued their sophomore album “Folk of the 80’s” in 1984. The record proved popular in Canada but failed to achieve the success of its predecessor. The EP “Freeways” arrived in 1985 featuring remixes of earlier songs, and was supported by a small tour, which was documented on the DVD “Live Hats”. With a fresh lineup behind Ivan and Stefan including Lenny Pinkas, the band released “Pop Goes the World” in 1987, the title single of which reached No. 2 on the Canadian Single Chart and was later used in the 1987 film “Date with an Angel”.
The full-length “The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century”, featuring the ABBA cover “SOS”, was released in 1989 with little stir made. “Sideways” followed in 1991 and marked the group’s move away from new wave synth sounds towards the guitar dominated ‘90s. Following the release Men Without Hats disbanded in which time Ivan crafted the solo album “The Spell” issued in 1997. The band reformed in 2003 to release “No Hats Beyond This Point”, followed by a pair of compilation albums “My Hats Collection” in 2006 and “The Silver Collection” in 2008. Men Without Hats’ released their seventh studio album “Love in the Age of War” in 2012, 30 years after their debut record.
The 80s was a weird time, especially for music. There was a lot of new wave, electronic synth-rock stuff coming out of that era. Men Without Hats is the epitome of this type of music; and despite their being from the 80s, they can still pull off the great music. A majority of the crowd at their live set was beyond my age, but since I had grown up with a father who loved 80s music, I didn’t care that I was the youngest person around. In fact, since the band has faded back since their heyday, everyone in the crowd was an actual fan, and not some bandwaggoner. They opened their show with “Pop Goes The World,” and I felt like I was transported to the 80s. Despite not being at their prime Ivan Doroschuk, Lou Dawson, James Love and Rachel Ashmore can still rock and roll. They produced a lot of energy, which the crowd made sure to match. A lot of dancing was done around me, and by the time they started to play “Safety Dance” I found myself dancing along as well. The band was also extremely personable, taking the time in between songs to talk a bit with the audience and share a bit of banter as well. They are clearly a band that loves doing what they do.
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