The Lotus Eaters (band)
| The Lotus Eaters | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Jangle pop, sophisti-pop, new wave |
| Years active | 1981–1985 2002–present |
| Labels | Arista, Cherry Red |
| Associated acts | The Wild Swans, The Dance Party, The Jass Babies, The Cure, Associates, Minny Pops |
| Website | thelotuseaters |
| Members | Peter Coyle Jeremy "Jem" Kelly Stephen Emmer |
| Past members |
Ged Quinn Alan Wills Phil Lucking Michael Dempsey Stephen Creese |
The Lotus Eaters are an English new wave band formed in 1982 in Liverpool. Their debut single, "The First Picture of You", became a hit in the UK and in continental Europe, notably France, Italy and Spain.
In September 1982, Peter Coyle and Jeremy "Jem" Kelly met for the first time. Kelly had been guitarist in the Dance Party with Michael Head and co-founded the Wild Swans in 1980. Coyle had previously been in the Jass Babies, who had recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show in 1981.
After an invitation to record a Peel session, a number of new songs were created. Joined on keyboards by Kelly's fellow ex-Wild Swans member Ged Quinn, drummer Alan Wills and bassist Phil Lucking, the session was recorded in October 1982 and included "The First Picture of You". This led to the band being signed by Arista Records.
Produced by Nigel Gray, "The First Picture of You" became an iconic song for The Lotus Eaters in 1983, giving them a UK hit single before the band had even played a live gig. The band recorded a second session for Peel in October 1983.
The band's debut studio album, No Sense of Sin, was released in 1984 on Arista subsidiary Sylvan Records, preceded by two further singles, "You Don't Need Someone New" and "Out on Your Own". Both of these songs hit the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart, but owing to difficulties with producers and marketing, the impact of "The First Picture of You" was not repeated in the UK.
After Quinn left, Coyle and Kelly recruited bassist Michael Dempsey (The Cure, Associates), keyboard player Stephen Emmer (formerly of Minny Pops and Associates) and drummer Steve Crease. The Lotus Eaters toured extensively in the UK, France and Italy before going on hiatus in 1985 after parting ways with Arista.It Hurts, their final single, charted in the Italian Top 5 that year, but the band had already split up, leaving a promotional video featuring footage of Louise Brooks to represent them.
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