Named after the Easterhouse housing estate in Glasgow, the band was actually formed in Stretford, near Manchester, by brothers Andy and Ivor Perry in the mid-1980s, playing one of their first gigs on 30 August 1983 at Dingwalls in London as a support band for The Smiths.
Championed by Morrissey, their Rough Trade singles Whistling in the Dark and Inspiration – combining Ivor’s echo-laden jangly guitar with Andy’s left-wing political rhetoric – were both Top 5 indie chart hits and their energetic debut album, Contenders – featuring their signature song, 1969 – was released in 1986.
By the time of the second album Waiting for the Redbird (1989), fraternal squabbling had torn the band apart and Andy Perry was the sole remaining member of the original line-up.
The album produced a minor hit, Come Out Fighting, which received significant airplay in the US.
In 2005 the band reunited for a one-off gig featuring Andy Rourke (the ex-bassist from The Smiths).
Andy Perry
Vocals, harmonica
Ivor Perry
Guitar
Mike Murray
Guitar
Peter Vanden
Bass
Gary Rostock
Drums
David Verner
Drums
Neil Taylor
Guitar
Lance Sabin
Guitar
Steve Lovell
Guitar