The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band, formed in 1980 in Leeds.
After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980’s and sustained it until the early 1990’s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company WEA.
Currently, the band are a touring outfit only.
The group has released three original studio albums, the last of which was released in 1990.
Each album was recorded by a different line-up; singer-songwriter Andrew Eldritch and the drum machine called Doktor Avalanche are the only points of continuity throughout.
Eldritch and Avalanche were also involved in The Sisterhood, a side-project connected with Eldritch’s dispute with former members.
The group ceased recording activity in 1993, when they went on strike against Time Warner, which they accused of incompetence and withholding royalties.
Although Time Warner released them from their contract in 1997, they have not signed to another label nor released any new material, despite showcasing numerous new songs in their live sets.
Former members of the group established the bands Ghost Dance and The Mission.
Ghost Dance were a British Gothic rock and post-punk band formed in 1985 by Gary Marx (ex-Sisters of Mercy guitarist) and Anne-Marie Hurst (ex-Skeletal Family vocalist) as both were leaving their respective bands.
The band were originally signed to Nick Jones’ record label, Karbon Records, then were later signed to the major label Chrysalis Records, before splitting up in 1989.
The Mission (known as The Mission UK in the United States) are an English Gothic rock band formed in 1986.
Initially known as The Sisterhood, the band was started by front-man Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams (both from The Sisters of Mercy), soon adding drummer Mick Brown (Red Lorry Yellow Lorry) and guitarist Simon Hinkler (Artery and Pulp).
Aside from Hussey, the line-up has changed several times during the years and the band has been on hiatus twice.
The band’s catalogue consists of ten main albums (God’s Own Medicine, Children, Carved in Sand, Masque, Neverland, Blue, Aura, God is a Bullet, The Brightest Light and Another Fall from Grace) with several complementing albums, compilations and other miscellaneous releases also in existence.
A1 Good Things
A2 Floorshow
A3 Alice
A4 1969
A5 Gimme Shelter
B1 Poison Door
B2 Walk Away
B3 No Time To Cry
B4 Emma
B5 Heartland
Current members
Andrew Eldritch – vocals, keyboards, guitars, drum programming (1980–1985, 1987–present), drums (1980)[
Ben Christo – guitars, backing vocals, bass guitar (2006–present)
Dylan Smith – guitars, backing vocals (2019–present)
Touring musicians
Ravey Davey – Doktor Avalanche operator (1996; 2008; 2012–present)
Former members
Gary Marx – guitars, (1980–1985) vocals (1980)
Keith Fuller – vocals (1980)
Claire Shearsby – keyboards (1980)
Jon Langford – keyboards (1980)
Dave Humphrey – guitar (1981)
Tom Ashton – guitar (1981)
Craig Adams – bass (1981–1985)
Ben Gunn – guitars (1981–1983)
Wayne Hussey – guitars, backing vocals (1983–1985)
Patricia Morrison – bass, backing vocals (1987–1989)
Andreas Bruhn – guitars (1989–1993)
Tony James – bass (1989–1991)
Tim Bricheno – guitars (1990–1992)
Adam Pearson – guitars, backing vocals, bass (1993–2006)
Chris Sheehan – guitars, backing vocals (1996, 2000–2005)
Mike Varjak – guitars (1997–2000)
Chris Catalyst – guitars, backing vocals (2005–2019)
Former touring musicians
Dan Donovan – keyboards (1990–1991)
Simon Denbigh – Doktor Avalanche operator (1996–2012)
The Sisters of Mercy discography
First and Last and Always (1985)
Floodland (1987)
Vision Thing (1990)
