Bauhaus
 Bauhaus
were the founding fathers of Goth-rock, creating a minimalist, gloomy
style of post-punk, driven by jagged guitars and cold, metallic
synthesizers.
Throughout their brief career, the band explored
all the variations on their bleak musical ideas, adding elements of
glam rock, experimental electronic rock, funk and heavy metal. While
their following has never really expanded beyond a cult, they kept
their cult alive well into the 90s, a full decade after they
disbanded.
The group formed in 1978 in Northampton, England.
Originally the band was called Bauhaus 1919 after the German art
movement but by 1979 they had dropped the '1919' from their name. In
August 1979, they released their debut single, Bela Lugosi's Dead
on the independent label Small Wonder. Although it did not make the
pop charts, it became the de facto Goth anthem, staying in the UK
independent charts for years.
 Three
months later, the group signed with Beggars Banquet subsidiary 4AD and
released their second single, Dark Entries. Following their
first European tour, the band released their third single, Terror
Couple Kill Colonel which became a hit again on the indie charts.
After touring America for the first time in
September 1980, the group released a version of Telegram Sam
(originally by T Rex) and a debut album, In The Flat Field,
which reached Number 72 on the charts. The success of the album led to
their first chart hits - both Kick In The Eye and The
Passion Of Lovers made the Top 60 in 1981.
Their second album, Mask, revealed a more
ambitious musical direction, featuring elements of metal and
electronic sonic textures. The album was a commercial success and
peaked at Number 30 in the UK charts. In March 1982, Bauhaus released
the EP Searching For Satori which reached Number 45 in the UK.
Another successful single, Spirit, followed in the summer. That
Autumn they had a number 15 hit with their version of the David Bowie
classic Ziggy Stardust. The success of the single propelled
their third album, The Sky's Gone Out, to number 4 on the UK
album charts.
 Peter
Murphy contracted pneumonia at the beginning of 1983, which prevented
him from participating in the recording sessions for their fourth
album, Burning From The Inside. Consequently the album featured
substantial personal contributions from Daniel Ash and David Jay who
both pursued more personal and atmospheric directions.
After Murphy recovered, the band toured Japan and
then returned to the UK to promote their summer release of Burning
From The Inside. The album was another hit, peaking at number 13.
In July, Bauhaus broke up. After the break-up, Murphy formed Dali's
Car with Mick Karn from Japan and then pursued a solo career. Ash
continued with Tones On Tail, a project he began in 1981. Kevin
Haskins also joined the band.
David Jay made some solo records and briefly
joined the Jazz Butchers. Ash, Haskins and Jay formed Love And Rockets
in 1985 after a proposed Bauhaus reunion fell apart because Murphy
wasn't interested in the project. The band did eventually get
back together briefly in 1998 but - as Daniel Ash puts it -
"ended up arguing about exactly the same shit as we did 15 years
before".
Ash, Jay and Haskins all now reside in
California, while Peter Murphy moved to Turkey.
| The
Band |
Peter Murphy
Vocals
|
Daniel Ash
Guitar |
David Jay Haskins
Bass |
Kevin Haskins
Drums |
|
|
