Chapterhouse

Formed in Reading, England in 1987 by Andrew Sherriff (b. 5 May 1969, Wokingham, England; guitar/vocals), Stephen Patman (b. 8 November 1968, Windsor, Berkshire, England; guitar), Simon Rowe (b. 23 June 1969, Reading, Berkshire, England; guitar), Jon Curtis (bass) and Ashley Bates (b. 2 November 1971, Reading, Berkshire, England; drums), Chapterhouse took the unusual step of rehearsing and gigging for well over a year before recording even a demo tape. They were initially lumped in with the British acid rock scene of the time, a mistake hardly rectified by the band's early performances supporting Spacemen 3. Chapterhouse eventually escaped from one genre only to find themselves thrust among the infamous "shoegazer" bands of 1991 (with Lush, Moose and Slowdive), so called because of their static live shows and insular, effects pedal-driven music. Bass player Jon Curtis left early on to study, being replaced by Russell Barrett (b. 7 November 1968, Vermont, USA), who also fronted his own garage band, the Bikinis. Chapterhouse eventually signed to the newly formed Dedicated Records label, releasing the Freefall EP and a series of lavishly acclaimed singles, including "Pearl", which reached the UK Top 70 in March 1991. By the autumn of 1991, the band were aiming their sights on the US market, but they were to make little headway. Back home in Britain, too, the press were now reluctant to embrace them, with the "shoegazing" scene becoming the target of the traditional backlash. Bates had already left the band after the release of Whirlpool, with his place taken by drum machines (he later formed Cuba with Christopher Andrews). Reviews for Blood Music were lukewarm at best, and the band themselves were reluctant to promote the album. They split-up shortly afterwards, with Rowe joining Mojave 3 and the other members becoming involved with various dance music projects.