A House
| A House | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock |
| Years active | 1985–1997 |
| Labels |
Blanco Y Negro Parlophone MCA Records Setanta Records Sire Records |
| Associated acts | Last Chance Dave Couse Couse and The Impossible Lokomotiv AV8 (a.k.a. Sweet Hereafter) Pony Club |
| Past members |
Dave Couse Fergal Bunbury Martin Healy Dave Dawson David Morrissey Susan Kavanagh Dermot Wylie |
A House were an Irish rock band active from the 1980s into the 1990s, and recognized for the clever, "often bitter or irony laden lyrics of [frontman] Dave Couse ... bolstered by the [band's] seemingly effortless musicality". The single "Endless Art" is one of their best known charting successes. A House were managed throughout their career by John Carroll.
Formed in Dublin by former members of the band Last Chance, vocalist Dave Couse, guitarist Fergal Bunbury, bassist Martin Healy (who had all been schoolfriends at Templeogue College), and drummer Dermot Wylie came together as A House. The band honed their live skills in the pubs of Dublin, performing in McGonagle's club (best known internationally as the venue where U2 cut their teeth in the late seventies), at free gigs in the Phoenix Park, and turns on RTÉ's TV GaGa and Dave Fanning's radio sessions.
The earliest recorded appearance for the band was on a charity compilation called Blackrock Youth Aid '85, put together at Newpark School. This was followed by tracks on two live compilations: A House contributed a song whose title is representative of the band's early spirit, "On Your Bike Wench, and Let's Have the Back of You", to the EP Live at the Underground (1986), recorded in September 1985 (and only available) in The Underground club in Dublin, and featuring other contemporary up and coming bands such as Something Happens and The Stars of Heaven; the Street Carnival Rock EP (1987) includes songs recorded as Dave Fanning sessions, and finds A House, performing a song called "What A Nice Evening To Take The Girls Up The Mountains", alongside other young Irish bands including The Golden Horde.
These beginnings were followed up by two self-released singles, "Kick Me Again Jesus" and "Snowball Down". A House released these on the label RIP Records.
Recording a John Peel Session for BBC radio in the United Kingdom, and gaining regional popularity, the band signed with Blanco y Negro who released the singles "Heart Happy" and "Call Me Blue" in Ireland and the UK. The latter was backed by a video and was relatively successful, receiving appreciable airplay and reaching number 28 in the Irish charts, as well as having some impact in the US. These singles were followed by A House's first album On Our Big Fat Merry-Go-Round in 1988. The band then toured with the Go-Betweens, and "Call Me Blue" reached number 3 in the Billboard College Charts in 1989.
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