The Housemartins

The Housemartins

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1983
Headquarters	Hull , England, United Kingdom
Products	Indie rock music, albums, singles

The Housemartins were an English indie rock band originating from Hull, active throughout the 1980s. They secured three albums within the UK top ten and achieved six singles that reached the top twenty. Their songwriting merged themes of socialist ideology with Christianity, mirroring their personal convictions—evident in their debut album London 0 Hull 4, which carried the slogan, "Take Jesus – Take Marx – Take Hope". Their a cappella rendition of "Caravan of Love" climbed to the number one spot on the UK charts in December 1986.

Following their split in 1988, members Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway went on to establish the Beautiful South, while bassist Norman Cook gained recognition as a leading electronic dance music DJ and producer. Cook also created projects such as Beats International, Pizzaman, and Freak Power, before adopting his well-known stage name, Fatboy Slim.

Formation

The group was formed in late 1983 by Paul Heaton (vocals, credited as "P.d. Heaton") alongside guitarist Stan Cullimore, initially performing as a busking duo. They recorded a demo that caught the attention of the label Go! Discs. The band humorously referred to themselves as "the fourth best band in Hull," ranking behind local acts like Red Guitars, Everything but the Girl, and the Gargoyles.

During the 1984 UK miners' strike, Heaton aimed to assemble a full lineup to support his increasingly political songwriting. This led to recruiting bassist Ted Key and drummer Hugh Whitaker from The Gargoyles. Their debut performance as a quartet took place at Hull University in October 1984.

John Peel sessions, London 0 Hull 4 and "Caravan of Love"

After completing their initial John Peel session and releasing their single "Flag Day", Key departed in late 1985, citing feelings of isolation during the creative process. Subsequently, Heaton invited Norman Cook—later known as Fatboy Slim—who had previously played with Heaton in their teenage band the Stomping Pond Frogs and contributed to early demos, to fill the bassist role.

In 1986, following a second Peel session, they achieved mainstream recognition with their third single "Happy Hour", which peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The single's popularity was enhanced by a claymation music video featuring comedian Phill Jupitus, who toured with them under the persona "Porky the Poet". Their debut album, London 0 Hull 4, released later that year, compiled prior singles along with alternate takes of "Flag Day" and "Think for a Minute".

Their sole UK No. 1 hit came on 16 December 1986 with a cover of "Caravan of Love", originally by Isley-Jasper-Isley. The track narrowly missed securing the Christmas number one spot, reportedly due to its removal from the BBC Radio 1 playlist after a contentious radio interview comment concerning Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her spouse.

The band first performed "Caravan of Love" during their second Peel session in April 1986, prior to its commercial success.

The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death

In 1987, drummer Hugh Whitaker departed on friendly terms, recommending his schoolmate Dave Hemingway as his successor.

Their sophomore album, The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death, was launched in September 1987 and included the singles "Five Get Over Excited" and "Me and the Farmer". November saw the release of a third single, "Build", accompanied by their final Peel Session recording, which was later used for their last single.

Disbandment and Subsequent Endeavors

Following the April 1988 release of their last single "There Is Always Something There to Remind Me", the Housemartins officially announced their breakup. Later that year, a farewell compilation titled Now That's What I Call Quite Good was issued.

Despite disbanding, members maintained close ties and continued collaborating. Norman Cook found significant success with Beats International and under the moniker Fatboy Slim, while Heaton, Hemingway, and former roadie Sean Welch established The Beautiful South.

In 2003, a remix single "Change the World" by Dino Lenny vs The Housemartins—a modernized version of their debut track "Flag Day"—charted at UK #51 without direct involvement from the band.

In August 2009, Mojo reunited the original members (Heaton, Cullimore, Cook, Whitaker) for an interview and photo session; all confirmed no intention to reunite professionally. Cullimore transitioned into children's literature and co-composed songs for the pre-school television program The Bopps, which premiered on Nick Jr. in 2010. In 2014, Cullimore and Whitaker joined Heaton on stage at Hull's The New Adelphi Club, performing classic Housemartins songs.

Most recently, in June 2024, Heaton appeared at the Glastonbury Festival Pyramid Stage, with Cook joining him on bass for a rendition of "Happy Hour".

Musical style and lyrics

Initially categorized as part of the jangle pop genre, the band’s sound drew parallels with groups such as The Smirks, The Smiths, and Aztec Camera. In 1986, Spin described their music as "'60s-style guitar pop with soul vocals". Cook described the group as "religious, but not Christians," highlighting gospel influences in their work.

Their songwriting frequently embraced socialist ideals; Cook remarked that Heaton favored politically charged lyrics over romantic themes, resulting in material that was "angrily political".

Final lineup

• Paul Heaton – lead vocals, harmonica, guitar, trombone (1983–1988)
• Stan Cullimore – guitar, backing vocals (1983–1988)
• Norman Cook – bass guitar, backing vocals (1985–1988)
• Dave Hemingway – drums, backing vocals (1987–1988)

Former members

• Ted Key – bass guitar, vocals (1984–1985)
• Hugh Whitaker – drums, backing vocals (1985–1987)

Albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions						Certifications
		UK	AUS	NZL	SWE	NOR	US
1986	London 0 Hull 4 Issued October 1986 under Go! Discs label	3	35	21	3	9	124	BPI Platinum
1987	The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death Released September 1987 via Go! Discs	9	56	34	25	—	177	BPI Gold
"—" indicates albums that did not chart.

Compilation albums

Year	Title	UK	Certifications	Record label
1986	The Housemartins Christmas Box Set	84
1988	Now That's What I Call Quite Good	8	BPI: Gold	Go! Discs
2004	The Best of the Housemartins	29	BPI: Silver	Go! Discs/Mercury
2006	Live at the BBC	―		Universal
2007	Soup	15	BPI: 2× Platinum	Mercury
"—" indicates releases that did not enter the charts.

Singles

Year	Title	Highest chart rankings										Certifications	Album
		UK	IRL	NZL	NLD	BEL	SWI	AUT	SWE	NOR	AUS
1985	"Flag Day"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		London 0 Hull 4
1986	"Sheep"	56	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Happy Hour"	"3"	"3"	"38"	"25"	"23"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	BPI: Gold
	"Think for a Minute"	"18"	"14"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
	"Caravan of Love"	"1"	"1"	"2"	"3"	"5"	"2"	"7"	"1"	"2"	"24"	BPI: Gold	Non-album single
"Five Get Over Excited"	"11"	"4"	"—"	"96"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"Me and the Farmer"	"15"	"4"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
Build]]"	"15"	"9"	"41" "65" "27" "—" "—" "—" "—" "—"
"There Is Always Something There to Remind Me"	"35"	"17"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	Now That's What I Call Quite Good
"Change the World" (as Dino Lenny vs The Housemartins)	"51"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	Non-album single

Videography

(excluding television performances broadcast live)

• "Sheep"
• "Happy Hour"
• "Think for a Minute"
• "Caravan of Love"
• "Five Get Over Excited"
• "Me and the Farmer"
• "Build"
• "There Is Always Something There to Remind Me"
• "We're Not Deep"