The Sisters of Mercy perform in Vitória

The Sisters of Mercy is a British gothic rock band formed in Leeds in 1980 by Andrew Eldritch (vocals) and Gary Marx (guitar). They were joined by Ben Gunn (guitar, replaced by Wayne Hussey in 1983) and Craig Adams (bass). Despite having released only three LPs, The Sisters of Mercy became one of the most influential bands of the 1980s. The origin of the band's name comes from a song by Leonard Cohen and a religious order of Catholic nuns.
The Sisters of Mercy was a leader in the gothic rock genre, achieving wide success in England and the United States. From the early days of the group, playing in bars and clubs in Leeds, the band was marked by attracting a legion of fans. Among the main characteristics of the group's style are: elements of psychedelia, dance, and punk; singer Eldritch is characterized by his deep and dark voice; the band's lyrics deal with themes common to gothic rock. The band also innovated by using a machine to perform the drums/percussion, nicknamed Doktor Avalanche.
The difficulties in relationships with Andrew Eldritch caused many members of Sisters of Mercy to leave, leaving him as the only original member. In 1985, Gary Marx left the band and formed Ghost Dance; Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams formed The Mission in 1986. Today, besides Eldritch, Chris Catalyst and Ben Christodoulou are part of The Sisters of Mercy. Although they no longer release original works, they continue to tour. In June 2007, they performed in Spain, Germany, and Belgium.

The name The Sisters of Mercy was chosen from a song by Leonard Cohen, Sisters of Mercy. Cohen's song referred to a group of Catholic nuns. However, this lyric is interpretive and may also allude to prostitutes. By choosing this name, Andrew and Gary interpreted the second option. According to Andrew, the behavior of rock bands at that time could be associated with the activity of prostitutes. The name The Sisters of Mercy would be a great metaphor for the situation.

Initially, the band was formed only by the duo Andrew and Gary. With this precarious formation and few financial resources, the duo recorded their first work. The single Damage Done was released by the group's own label, Merciful Release. There was no interest from record labels, and creating a label was more viable. This single featured only three tracks, The Damage Done, Watch, and Home of the Hitmen, with 1000 copies pressed.

Over 25 years of career, the band has gone through several distinct phases with varied lineups. Therefore, it becomes difficult to include The Sisters of Mercy within a musical label or frame and associate them with a particular era. However, due to the atmospheric sound, the dark references to rituals and esoteric symbols, some consider TSoM a typical gothic band of the 80s. Moreover, it is up to fans and laypeople to celebrate one of the most prosperous bands that emerged in recent decades.

Show The Sisters of Mercy in Vitória

The band's show in Vitória will be on November 12, 2019, at the Patrick Ribeiro space (New airport of Vitória).
Tickets can be purchased at patrickribeiro.com
Watch a video of the band below:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evu3I0ZoERc[/embed>