The Sisters of Mercy

From ArticleWorld

The Sisters of Mercy are a band that rose out of the British post punk scene in 1980-1981. After achieving early underground fame in united kingdom, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid 1980s and sustained it until early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded material as a means strike against their record company. Currently, the band is kept alive as a touring outfit only.

The group have recorded three original albums, of which the last was released in 1990. Each album was recorded by a different line-up, the only constant member was singer and songwriter, Andrew Eldritch.

The group stopped recording activity in 1994, when they went on strike against their record company, Time Warner, which they accused of withholding royalties and extreme incompetence. Although Time Warner eventually let the band go in 1997, they have not yet signed to another label, and have chosen not to go the "independent label" route, despite showcasing many new songs in their live set.

Since 1985, when other original members left, The Sisters of Mercy became the artistic vehicle of the lead singer, Andrew Eldritch. Some ex-members of the group established bands, Ghost Dance and band The Mission UK.

The band cited Leonard Cohen and Motörhead, as well as the Stooges and Suicide as among their many influences. The latter two bands are respectively considered to be proto-punk and punk, and as such the band shares influences with other bands in the first wave of what is termed the Gothic music. While the band enjoys a considerable fan base with overlapping interests in so-called dark culture, The Sisters of Mercy consider themselves first and foremost a rock band. They have actively discouraged their association with the Gothic genre via regular public statements in the press, not to mention stipulations in their standard contract riders. Nevertheless, this has not stopped them from regularly appearing at festivals where this music is featured, such as M'era Luna. The Sisters of Mercy were highly influential to the second wave of Gothic rock bands.