The Sisters of Mercy on Tour
Formed in Leeds, England in 1980, The Sisters of Mercy is led by the deep baritone of singer and co-founder Andrew Eldritch. Their sound blends goth-rock and post-punk into haunting melodies, dance beats, atmospheric soundscapes, and lyrics that leave a lasting impression. The band achieved global cult status with their distinct self-proclaimed "supercharged industrial psychedelia" sound.
The Sisters of Mercy recorded their first single, "The Damage Done," with Eldrtich on vocals and drums, and co-founder Gary Marx on guitar. Eldritch later replaced himself on drums with a drum machine they named Doktor Avalanche.
They released their first album, First and Last and Always, in 1985. Their second album, Floodland, followed in 1987, with Vision Thing, the third and final full-length album, releasing in 1990 -- peaking at No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart. Each album hosts a different lineup, with Eldritch's iconic vocals and Doktor Avalanche being the constants. While The Sisters of Mercy have not recorded new material since the '90s, they continue to write new music, also performing it during their live shows.
Known as a band with diverse tastes, The Sisters of Mercy have covered everything from Dolly Parton's "Jolene" to Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and The Stooges' "1969."
In an interview with Australia's AMNplify, Eldritch had this to say about their live performances: "A third of the set consists of all your favorites, a third is unreleased material, and the other third is never even thought of because we are generating a lot of new material with a new guitarist and we're actually writing stuff like crazy."
The Sisters of Mercy Live in Concert
The current version of The Sisters of Mercy are Andrew Eldritch (vocals, keyboards, guitars, drum programming), Ben Christo (guitars, backing vocals, bass) and Dylan Smith (guitars, backing vocals). The band was originally founded by Eldritch and guitarist Gary Marx so that they could hear themselves on the radio. The band takes its name from Robert Altman's film McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), which featured a track from Leonard Cohen's album Songs of Leonard Cohen called "Sisters of Mercy."
Their music has been cited as a major influence by several legendary bands, including Metallica, Nine Inch Nails and My Chemical Romance.