Monocled Alchemist

Article published in NME, 4th December, 1982

Sisters Of Mercy | Do The Apocalypso | WITH GROUPS like The Gun Club and The Birthday Party kicking the cataleptic body of music around, perhaps it was inevitable that the search for something new would be on.

Enter The Sisters Of Mercy.

The Sisters are five human units: Ben Gunn, Gary Marx, Lerch Adams and Andrew Eldritch — and an all important drum machine.

“We are probably the first people in this country to take the sound of the drum machine and actually do something different with it. If you know how to use them, these things can be immensely powerful.

The Sisters pull out the full verbal swagger, partly through a conviction of their own power and direction, and partly through simple perversity.

Fashion is there to be flaunted, they argue, and they do so delightedly. When I arrive to talk to them they’re running through an old Jimi Hendrix video.

Listen little Sisters, I thought rock was dead.

The Sisters Of Mercy | Do The Apocalypso

“That’s the trouble with the press,” they sulk, “they will not recognise that the rock format still has an enormous amount to contribute — as long as it’s approached with the right attitude and an awareness that certain things just can’t be taken seriously.

“People are ready to recognise a smartness and a sense of humour in pop but not rock, which is just as suitable a vehicle.”

The Sisters of Mercy are an intersection of the compelling sex-beat simplicity of DAF and the sparkling spirit (not the junky fascination) of the New York Dolls. They describe themselves as a heavy metal band, but what’s important is that they operate on more than one level.

“Some people like us because we make a powerful noise, some people see us as the thinking man’s guide to the apocalypse,” they say with derision. “And some actually see the tremendous black humour with which the whole thing’s done.”

Black humour but not black magic?

“We could go in for all that imagery, but it’s just the easy way out. It’s a way of covering up the inability of making any intelligent comment. Like the reference to Tarot on the new single says: ‘In illusion comfort lies’ which means black magic is just another illusion that people use to wrap themselves up in and hide from the real world.”

The double A-side single ‘Alice’/’Floorshow’ is a devastating scream.

The Sisters Of Mercy | Do The Apocalypso

A follow up to the highly acclaimed ‘Body Electric’ and their best forgotten debut, it’s the purest expression of the Sisters’ promise so far. They insist, though, that this is only one side of them.

“We regard records and live performances as being two different aspects of the whole thing. Each can be taken on their own, to really understand what the band is trying to do, you have to see both sides.”

At London’s Imperial College, in front of an unsuspecting crowd of students, they expose the live wire. Where the records restrain the power, the live sound takes it to almost ridiculous levels, as the band teeters on the edge of parody.

Andrew, starved and spindly, coils around the mike, Craig affects disinterest and rolls out an ominous wash of bass, and Ben looks bemused. The drum machine cuts through the top of your head.

The audience becomes a mix of bouncing psychobillies, restrained consideration and open antagonism.

“We always do that to audiences, there’s always the three distinct groups. We always get cut and dried reactions.”

My reaction? The Sisters of Mercy are not the answer but they make an invigorating antidote. My advice to you? See them! (Don Watson)