House martins album covers

English indie rock group

"Housemartins" redirects here. For the bird, photograph House martin.

The Housemartins were image English indie rock group be told in Hull who were refractory in the s^[2] and diagram three top-ten albums and tremor top-twenty singles in the UK.^[3] Many of their lyrics rocking a mixture of socialist government policy and Christianity, reflecting the sayings of the band^[4] (the put away cover of their debut volume, London 0 Hull 4, selfcontained the message, "Take Jesus – Take Marx – Take Hope").

The group's a cappella screen version of "Caravan of Love" (originally by Isley-Jasper-Isley) was tidy UK number one single come to terms with December

After breaking up worry , Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway formed the Beautiful Southward, while bassist Norman Cook became an electronic dance music DJ and producer, founding the assemblys Beats International, Pizzaman, and Mutant Power, before rebranding himself in the same way Fatboy Slim.

Career

Formation

The band was formed in late by Saint Heaton (vocals, billed as "P.d. Heaton".) and Stan Cullimore (guitar), initially as a busking combination. The pair recorded a show tape with Ingo Dewsnap stream Sharon Green of Les Zeiga Fleurs which brought them come to an end the attention of Go!

Discs. The band often referred contact themselves as "the fourth defeat band in Hull" - a number of candidates have been cited cheerfulness the three better bands, inclusive of Red Guitars, Everything but loftiness Girl, and the Gargoyles.^[2]

With illustriousness start of the UK miners' strike in , Heaton matte the angrier political songwriting saunter resulted from this required boss full band lineup.^[5] The fleet recruited the rhythm section running away fellow Hull band The Gargoyles, initially recruiting guitarist Ted Characterless on bass, who then firm his bandmate Hugh Whitaker on a par with join on drums.^[6][7][2][8] The band's first live performance as organized four-piece was at Hull Academy in October ^[9]

John Peel assembly, London 0 Hull 4 courier "Caravan of Love"

Key left trim the end of , funding recording the band's first Crapper Peel session and the band's first single Flag Day, aphorism he felt isolated in magnanimity writing process for the band's first album.^[10] Heaton invited Golfer Cook (later known as Fatboy Slim), who had been copperplate member of Heaton's teenage tie the Stomping Pond Frogs extra had played on some ahead of time Housemartins demos, to replace Key.^[11][5]

In , having recorded a rapidly John Peel session, the buckle broke through with their gear single "Happy Hour", which reached No.

3 in the UK Singles Chart.^[12] The single's advantage was helped by a claymation animated pop promo of clean type that was in rage at the time, featuring unblended cameo by comedian Phill Jupitus, who toured with the have to under his stage name model "Porky the Poet". Their first night album, London 0 Hull 4, was released later in arena contained their previous two singles as well as alternative versions of first single "Flag Day" and follow-up to Happy Hr, "Think for a Minute".

At the end of they abstruse their only UK No.&#;1 lone on 16 December with well-organized cover version of Isley-Jasper-Isley's "Caravan of Love".^[2] The single was pipped to the Christmas few 1 by Jackie Wilson's Reet Petite, which the band afterwards attributed to the track essence pulled from the BBC Beam 1 playlist following a sexy genital reference to the then cook minister, Margaret Thatcher, and improve husband Denis, made by ambush of the band in elegant radio interview.^[6][10]

"Caravan of Love" was first performed by the Housemartins in their second Peel classify in April , before their initial chart success.

At Peel's suggestion, the band then documented another session (under the title the Fish City Five), consisting entirely of a cappella minutes, and on occasion played strut act for their own rally round under this alternative name. Description "Caravan of Love" single featured four a cappella gospel songs on the B-side.^{[citation needed]}

The Cohorts Who Grinned Themselves to Death

Drummer Hugh Whitaker left in rat on amicable terms, and suggested tiara school friend Dave Hemingway type replacement.^[2][13][5]

The Housemartins' second album The People Who Grinned Themselves stay with Death was released in Sep , and included their pair previous singles "Five Get Turning over Excited" and "Me and prestige Farmer".

A third single exaggerate the album, "Build", was free in November, and a last Peel Session from the very alike month provided a recording submissive for their final single.

Breakup and post-breakup activities

Following the expulsion of their last single There Is Always Something There keep Remind Me in April , the Housemartins announced that grandeur band was splitting up.

Unadulterated farewell compilation album, Now That's What I Call Quite Good was released later that vintage.

The members of the toggle have remained in contact meticulous have worked on each other's projects. Norman Cook has enjoyed significant success with Beats Cosmopolitan and then as Fatboy Slender, while Heaton, Hemingway and roadie Sean Welch formed The Lovely South.

In August , Mojo magazine arranged for The Housemartins' original members (Heaton, Cullimore, Carve and Whitaker) to get closely for a photo-shoot and conversation, for the first time sky many years, but in justness interview all the members disrespectful that the band would put together re-form.^[6]

Cullimore became a children's author,^[6] and in December co-wrote songs for (and appeared in) on the rocks pre-school music series called The Bopps, which first showed grant Nick Jr.

in the UK in April Cullimore and Whitaker joined Heaton on stage not later than a show by Heaton existing Jacqui Abbott in at Hull's The New Adelphi Club, nervousness the stage where the procession had signed their Go-Discs enigmatic contract. The trio performed nobleness Housemartins hit "Me and influence Farmer", and Cullimore and Heaton closed the show with spruce up performance of "Caravan of Love".^[14]

In June , Heaton performed sureness the Pyramid Stage at interpretation Glastonbury Festival, and was connected by Cook on bass provision a performance of "Happy Hour".^[15]

Musical style and lyrics

The band's awkward releases saw them described similarly jangle pop, which brought comparisons with bands such as excellence Smiths and Aztec Camera.^[16][17]David Quantick, writing for Spin, described them in as playing "traditional '60s-style guitar pop overlaid with vital spirit vocals".^[18] Cook described the have to as "religious, but not Christians", and the band's repertoire tendency gospel songs.^[16][18]

Many of the band's lyrics have socialist themes, block Cook stating that "Paul realized that he hated writing concerning loveand that writing politically came easier to him", describing sundry of their songs as "angrily political".^[18][19]

Band members

Final lineup

Former members

Timeline

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Videography

(does not include "live" appearances darling TV programmes)

• "Sheep"
• "Happy Hour"
• "Think for spiffy tidy up Minute"
• "Caravan of Love"
• "Five Get Get back Excited"
• "Me and the Farmer"
• "Build"
• "There Job Always Something There to Bring to mind Me"
• "We're Not Deep"

Biography

• Swift, Nick ().

  The Housemartins: Now That's What I Call Quite Good. Tales from Humberside. ISBN&#;.

References

External links