The Sisters Of Mercy

Rock band formed in Leeds, UK, in 1980, by singer Andrew Eldritch and guitarist Gary Marx. They were soon joined by drummer Doktor Avalanche – the stage name for what became a long succession of drum machines. The band’s dark subject matter, literary references (Eldritch’s lyrics nod to anyone from Shelley to Leonard Cohen), cavernous reverb and black record sleeves led the music press to dub them a “goth rock” act, though the band has always rejected this description.

The debut album *First And Last And Always* was not released until 1985, and the lineup that recorded it split soon afterwards. To prevent departing members Craig Adams and Wayne Hussey from renaming themselves The Sisterhood, Eldritch hurriedly released his own album under this name; Adams and Hussey instead formed The Mission. Eldritch then rebooted the Sisters as a duo of himself and bassist Patricia Morrison; the 1987 album *Floodland* prominently featured synthesizers. In 1990 the Sisters returned to live performance after a five-year absence, promoting a new album, *Vision Thing*, recorded mainly by Eldritch and guitarist Andreas Bruhn.

Two further singles followed, before a long feud with record company EastWest began. Although the band, with various lineups, has continued to tour regularly – playing a mix of old and new songs – ever since, there has been no new Sisters release since 1993.