The Housemartins

The Housemartins
The band looking down toward the camera
From left: Dave Hemingway, Paul Heaton, Norman Cook, Stan Cullimore
Background information
Also known asThe Fish City Five
OriginHull, England
Genres
Years active1983–1988
LabelsGo! Discs, Elektra
Past members

The Housemartins were an English indie rock group formed in Hull who were active in the 1980s[2] and charted three top-ten albums and six top-twenty singles in the UK.[3] Many of their lyrics conveyed a mixture of socialist politics and Christianity, reflecting the beliefs of the band[4] (the back cover of their debut album, London 0 Hull 4, contained the message, "Take Jesus – Take Marx – Take Hope"). The group's a cappella cover version of "Caravan of Love" (originally by Isley-Jasper-Isley) was a UK number one single in December 1986.

After breaking up in 1988, Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway formed the Beautiful South, while bassist Norman Cook became an electronic dance music DJ and producer, founding the groups Beats International, Pizzaman, and Freak Power, before rebranding himself as Fatboy Slim.

  1. ^ Marshall, Lucy (3 April 2021). "Where iconic '80s Hull band The Housemartins are now". Hull Daily Mail.
  2. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 460–461. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference uk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Musical Messages". Marxism Today (Interview). March 1987. pp. 45–47.