The Lotus Eaters (band)
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| The Lotus Eaters | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Liverpool |
| Genres | New Wave |
| Years active | 1981–1985 2002–present |
| Labels | Arista Records, Cherry Red |
| Associated acts | Isis The Jass Babies The Wild Swans The Pale Fountains |
| Members | |
| Peter Coyle Jem Kelly Stephen Emmer |
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| Past members | |
| Alan Wills Stephen Creese Michael Dempsey Gerard Quinn Phil |
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The Lotus Eaters formed in 1982 in Liverpool, England. Their debut single "The First Picture of You", from their debut album, No Sense of Sin (1984), became a hit in the UK and Europe, notably France, Italy and Spain.[1]
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[edit] History
In September 1981 Peter Coyle (born 25 October 1962) and Jeremy "Jem" Kelly (born in 1962) met for the first time. Jem had been guitarist in The Systems and co-founded The Wild Swans in 1981.[2] Coyle had previously been in the Jass Babies, who had recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show in 1981.[3]
After an invitation to record a Peel session, a number of new songs were created. Joined on keyboards by Kelly's fellow ex-Wild Swan Ged Quinn, and by drummer Alan Wills and bassist Phil (surname unknown), the session was recorded in October 1982 and included "The First Picture of You".[4] This led to the band being signed by Arista Records. Produced by Nigel Gray, "The First Picture of You" became an iconic song for The Lotus Eaters in 1983, giving them a UK hit single before the band had even played a live gig. The band recorded a second session for Peel in October 1983.[5]
Quinn left and Coyle and Kelly recruited bassist, Michael Dempsey (The Cure/Associates), keyboard player Stephen Emmer, and drummer Steve Crease. The Lotus Eaters toured extensively in the UK, France, and Italy, before going on hiatus in 1985 when they were dropped by Arista.[2] "It Hurts", their final single, charted in the Italian top 5 that year,[citation needed] but the band had already split up, leaving a promotional video to represent them.
Coyle recorded as a solo artist, releasing the albums A Slap in the Face for Public Taste and I'd Sacrifice Eight Orgasms With Shirley MacLaine Just to Be There, went on to found dance company 8 Productions and the G-Love nightclub.[6] As a songwriter / producer, he had success with Marina Van Rooy’s, Sly One, and worked with a host of emerging artists on Liverpool's dance scene. Meanwhile, Kelly reformed The Wild Swans, releasing an album, Bringing Home the Ashes, on Sire in 1988,[2] before leaving to study for a PhD in Multimedia Theatre. Coyle later pursued his academic interests at the University of Edinburgh, where he read Psychology.
In 1998, The First Picture of You, a compilation of the Lotus Eaters' BBC Radio 1 sessions, was released, and the No Sense of Sin album was reissued on CD with bonus tracks.[7]
[edit] Reunion
In 2001, The Lotus Eaters, comprising the duo of Coyle and Kelly, re-formed after almost two decades, recording and releasing a new album, entitled Silentspace.[8]
In March 2009, the band announced a one-off concert to be held at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 25 July. The gig, a performance of the album No Sense of Sin, featured the trio accompanied by a string quartet from the University of Huddersfield.[9] In April 2009, composed of Coyle, Kelly and Stephen Emmer, the group announced on their Myspace page that they were working, with producer Steve Power, on material for a new album.[9] The Lotus Eaters played their first London show in ten years at the Camden Barfly on 11 June 2010, with a string of shows in the UK to follow. The band also toured Italy in June 2010. Differance had a limited release in Japan in 2010. According to their MySpace, in 2011 they are working on a new album called A Plug-In Called Nostalgia.[10]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- "The First Picture of You" (1983), Sylvan-Arista — UK no. 15[2]
- "You Don't Need Someone New" (1983), Sylvan-Arista — UK no. 53[2]
- "Set Me Apart" (1984), Sylvan-Arista
- "Out on Your Own" (1985), Sylvan-Arista
- "It Hurts" (1985), Sylvan-Arista
- Stay Free EP (2001), Vinyl Japan[1]
[edit] Albums
- No Sense of Sin (1984), Sylvan-Arista UK no. 96
- Silentspace (2002), Cherry Red[1]
- Differance (2010), Sylvan
- Compilations
- First Picture of You (1998), Vinyl Japan
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 330. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c d e Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 571
- ^ "Jass Babies", Keeping It Peel, BBC, retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ "02/10/1982 - Lotus Eaters", Keeping It Peel, BBC, retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ "05/10/1983 - Lotus Eaters", Keeping It Peel, BBC, retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ Sutton, Michael "Peter Coyle Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ Sutton, Michael "Lotus Eaters Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ Sutton, Michael "Silentspace Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ a b "Band's official Myspace page". http://www.myspace.com/thelotuseatersuk. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
- ^ "News", thelotuseaters.com, retrieved 2011-07-07
