About The Housemartins
Hometown
Hull, England
Formed
1983
Genre
Pop
The Housemartins never missed a beat when it came to creating popular political dance music. Formed in Hull, England, in 1983, the jangle-pop band found its lyrical groove when singer Paul Heaton realized he preferred writing about politics over love, resulting in deeply cynical, neo-socialist bops like “Me and the Farmer” and “Sheep.” Their first album, 1986’s London 0 Hull 4, was given a boost after they recorded two sessions with legendary broadcaster John Peel, helping them break through to mainstream audiences with the wryly upbeat "Happy Hour." The same year, the anachronistic acapella sing-along "Caravan of Love," with its churchy video, became a No. 1 hit. They followed with 1987’s The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death, a pointed reference to Britain’s royal family. The Housemartins went their separate ways in 1988 before releasing the farewell compilation, Now That's What I Call Quite Good. The members weren’t done making music, though; Heaton and drummer Dave Hemingway went on to form The Beautiful South while bassist Norman Cook rebranded himself as dance producer Fatboy Slim.
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