Everytime I hear someone say put on some Eighties music it's always that electronic stuff or new romantic they're referring to. It's like the seventies means novelty songs or disco. Rubbish. The eighties had some absolutely brillaint singles and albums. The Housemartins came on a bit like a junior Smiths but totally endearing anyway. In fact we'd be at peoples place having drinks and would often swap a Smiths record for a Housemartins record. I guess I was taking a break from garage rock and acting a little more sophisticated.
This was the big hit single that got them noticed, well over here in Australia it was the first we'd heard. This went straight onto the playlist of Barbarellas and became a bit of an indie anthem at most clubs I DJed at. The video has them dancing and if the punter was drunk enough they would try to emulate Housemartins. Fatboy Slim, who was the bass player, couldn't dance. Guess that's why he became a DJ.
I was a big fan of the Housemartins. Loved their albums too. When I went back to the UK they were number one with an aapella hit. Christmas 1986. Caravan of Love. There was a bit of a fuss because they had crosses shaved into their hair and friends of mine thought they had been tricked into liking a Christian band, never mind they came across as socialists too.
Not long after that I started managing a band called Captain Cocoa because they reminded me of bands like the Housemartins and Orange Juice. The bass player was Dave O'Neill, now a well known comedian around town.
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