The Housemartins
From left: Dave Hemingway, Paul Heaton, Norman Cook, Stan Cullimore
Country	Hull, England
Years active	1983 – 1988
Genres	Indie rock, College rock
Labels	Go! Discs
Members	Paul Heaton (vocals) Stan Cullimore (guitar) Norman Cook (bass) Dave Hemingway (drums)
Past members	Ted Key (bass) Chris Lang (drums) Hugh Whitaker (drums)

The Housemartins were an English indie rock/accapella band that was active in the 1980s. Image File history File links The Housemartins, from left to right: Dave Hemingway, Paul Heaton, Norman Cook, Stan Cullimore Source: [1], cropped and cleaned up This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... In the USA, college rock was a term used to describe 1980s alternative rock before the term alternative came into common usage. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Go! Discs is an independent record label based in the United Kingdom. ... Paul David Heaton (born May 9, 1962) is an English born singer and songwriter. ... Stan Cullimore was born Ian Cullimore, on 6 April 1962, in Kingston Upon Hull, England. ... Fatboy Slim (born on July 16, 1963, Quentin Cook) also known as Norman Cook is a British musician in the dance music genre. ... David Hemingway known as Hammy (born September 20, 1960), is a lead vocalist for Hull-based group The Beautiful South. ... Ted Key is the cartoonist who created the comic strip Hazel. ... Chris Lang is a writer, actor, and producer for British television. ... Hugh Whitaker is the former drummer for the British indie rock band The Housemartins. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population...

Career

The band was formed in 1983 by Paul Heaton (vocals), Stan Cullimore (guitar), Ted Key (bass) and Chris Lang (drums). The band's membership changed quite a lot over the years. Ted Key was replaced by Norman Cook — the future Fatboy Slim — and drummer Chris Lang was replaced by Hugh Whitaker, former drummer with The Gargoyles, who in turn was replaced with Dave Hemingway. Paul David Heaton (born May 9, 1962) is an English born singer and songwriter. ... Stan Cullimore was born Ian Cullimore, on 6 April 1962, in Kingston Upon Hull, England. ... Chris Lang is a writer, actor, and producer for British television. ... Fatboy Slim (born on July 16, 1963, Quentin Cook) also known as Norman Cook is a British musician in the dance music genre. ... Fatboy Slim Fatboy Slim (born Quentin Leo Cook on July 16, 1963, also known as Norman Cook) is an English musician in the dance music genre. ... Chris Lang is a writer, actor, and producer for British television. ... Hugh Whitaker is the former drummer for the British indie rock band The Housemartins. ... David Hemingway known as Hammy (born September 20, 1960), is a lead vocalist for Hull-based group The Beautiful South. ...

The band often referred to themselves as "the 4th best band in Hull," referring to Kingston upon Hull, the city in England where the band formed in 1983. (The three bands that were "better" were Red Guitars, Everything but the Girl, and The Gargoyles.) Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... The Red Guitars were a British indie rock band active from 1982 to 1986. ... Everything But The Girls Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt in a publicity photo, c. ...

In 1986, the band broke through with the single "Happy Hour", which reached No.3 in the UK charts helped by a claymation animated pop promo of a type that was in vogue at the time. At the end of the same year, they had a No.1 single with a cover version of Isley Jasper Isley's "Caravan of Love". The term Claymation is a registered trademark created by Will Vinton Studios to describe their clay animated movies; the more generic term is clay animation, but the portmanteau claymation has entered the English language as a genericized trademark. ... Isley-Jasper-Isley was the splinter group of the legendary Isley Brothers. ...

They released three albums: London 0 Hull 4, The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death, and the greatest hits Now That's What I Call Quite Good. London 0 Hull 4 is a 1986 album by The Housemartins. ... The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death was the second and last album by The Housemartins. ... Now Thats What I Call Quite Good! was the post-breakup greatest hits and compilation album from The Housemartins. ...

The Housemartins lyrics were an odd mixture of Marxist politics and born-again Christianity, reflecting Paul Heaton's beliefs at the time. Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ...

The band split in 1988, but the members have since remained friends and worked on each other's projects. Norman Cook has enjoyed significant success with both Beats International and then as Fatboy Slim, while Heaton, Hemingway and roadie Sean Welch formed The Beautiful South. Despite repeated requests from fans, they have never reformed. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The producers behind the band Beats International were Norman Cook, who was later to become Fatboy Slim, and Lindy Layton, who was later to work under the pseudonym Hardknox. ... Fatboy Slim Fatboy Slim (born Quentin Leo Cook on July 16, 1963, also known as Norman Cook) is an English musician in the dance music genre. ... Sean Welch (born April 12, 1965 in Enfield, England) is the bassist for The Beautiful South and former roadie for The Housemartins. ... The Beautiful South are an English pop group formed at the end of the 1980s, formed with the remaining members of the Hull group The Housemartins. ...

In 1993, former drummer Hugh Whitaker was convicted of assault after attacking his business partner James Hewitt with an axe. Whitaker has since been released from prison and now resides in Leeds, where he occasionally drums with local band Percy. Hugh Whitaker is the former drummer for the British indie rock band The Housemartins. ... Leeds is a major city in the northern English county of Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and the urban core of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire. ...

Discography

Albums

• London 0 Hull 4 (June 1986, Go! Discs, UK #3)
• The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death (Sep 1987, Go! Discs, UK #9)
• Live At The BBC (2006, Universal)

London 0 Hull 4 is a 1986 album by The Housemartins. ... The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death was the second and last album by The Housemartins. ...

Singles

• "Flag Day" / "Stand at Ease" (Oct 1985)
• "Sheep" / "Drop Down Dead" (Mar 1986, UK #56)
• "Happy Hour" / "The Mighty Ship" (May 1986, UK #3)
• "Think for a Minute" / "Who Needs the Limelight" (Sep 1986, UK #18)
• "Caravan of Love" / "When I First Met Jesus" (Nov 1986, UK #1)
• "Flag Day" / "The Mighty Ship" (Feb 1987, US issue)
• "Five Get Over Excited" / "Rebel without the Airplay" (May 1987, UK #11)
• "Me and the Farmer" / "I Bit My Lip" (Aug 1987, UK #15)
• "Build" / "Paris in Flares" (Nov 1987, UK #15)
• "There Is Always Something There to Remind Me" / "Get Up Off Your Knees" (live) (Apr 1988, UK #35)

Caravan of Love is a 1985 R&B hit originally recorded by Isley-Jasper-Isley, the second half of The Isley Brothers 3 + 3 lineup of the 1970s. ...

Compilations

• The Housemartins Christmas Box Set (Nov 1986, UK #84)
• Now That's What I Call Quite Good (Apr 1988, UK #8)
• The Best of the Housemartins (Mar 2004)

Now Thats What I Call Quite Good! was the post-breakup greatest hits and compilation album from The Housemartins. ...

Videography

(does not include "live" appearances on TV programmes)

• "Sheep"
• "Happy Hour"
• "Think for a Minute"
• "Caravan of Love"
• "Five Get Over Excited"
• "Me and the Farmer"
• "Build"
• "Always Something There to Remind Me"

External links

• Fan site
• Paul Heaton fan site
• Stan Cullimore's official webpage