Keith Mullin

The Farm
Promotional photograph of The Farm in 1992 L to R: Ben Leach, Carl Hunter, Roy Boulter, Keith Mullin (back row), Steve Grimes and Peter Hooton (front row)
Background information
Origin	Liverpool, England
Genres	Alternative rock, alternative dance, Madchester, baggy
Years active	1983 (1983)–1996 (1996), 2004–present
Labels	Produce, Sire, Currently Unsigned/Indie
Members	Peter Hooton Steve Grimes Carl Hunter Roy Boulter Keith Mullin Ben Leach
Past members	Phil Strongman Andy McVann Anthony Evans Steve Levy George Maher John Melvin

The Farm are a British band from Liverpool. Their first album, Spartacus, reached the top position in the UK Albums Chart when it was released in March 1991; it includes two songs which had been top 10 singles the year before. In 2012, they toured with their Spartacus Live shows and formed part of The Justice Tonight Band, supporting The Stone Roses at Heaton Park, Phoenix Park, Lyon and Milan. The Justice Collective had the 2012 Christmas number one with their recording of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother".

The band was formed in early 1983 and initially comprised Peter Hooton, Steve Grimes, John Melvin and Andrew John "Andy" McVann, who was killed in a police chase on 1 October 1986 at the age of 21, and to whose parents the band's subsequent album, Spartacus, is dedicated.

The band evolved from an earlier group called The Excitements, initially including Phil Stephenson on bass guitar, Neil (Cad) Campbell on drums, Grimes on guitar and Thomas (the band's dancer). They became The Farm after Martin Dunbar (vocals) left and Peter Hooton joined, although they did play several gigs as The Excitements with Hooton on vocals. In 1984, they released the single, "Hearts and Minds", produced by Graham "Suggs" McPherson, lead vocalist with Madness. In 1986, after McVann's death, Melvin left the band to pursue a varied career as the director of his own construction firm, but he eventually returned to music in 1990 under the guise of Mr. Smith, a two-piece band that toured frequently, but did not release anything of note. In 1987, the band supported The Housemartins on their UK tour.