The Sisters of Mercy

Taking their name from a Leonard Cohen song featured in the movie McCabe & Mrs Miller, Andrew Eldritch and Gary Marx - clubbing regulars in Leeds - formed Sisters Of Mercy as a raucous and ramshackle indie outfit which quickly built a following in their home town. Liberally using a drum machine, they started as a covers band but were taken seriously after releasing the uncompromising Temple Of Love in 1983, which won them a major label deal with WEA. The introduction of the charismatic Wayne Hussey - ex-Dead Or Alive - gave them more edge and raised their profile considerably as they released debut album First And Last And Always in 1984. The band were hampered, however, by internal disputes which resulted in the departure of founder Gary Marx and the other members soon followed suit to form the offshoot band Sisterhood (later The Mission), leaving Eldritch on his own to pick up the pieces. Eldritch subsequently recorded the dramatic Floodland album (1987) before assembling a new Sisters of Mercy line-up that included Tony James (ex-Generation X). Despite ongoing legal disputes and more personnel changes, Eldritch consistently revived the Sisters as a touring band.