Bauhaus

Fathers of goth rock Bauhaus formed in England in 1978. Childhood friends and former band mates Daniel Ash (guitar), brothers David J (bass) and Kevin Haskins (drums) were joined by a friend of Ash's, Peter Murphy (vocals) to form what would become the original goth band. Their first single "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was released in September 1979 and was recorded in a single take, it was originally over nine minutes long; it would never reach UK charts. However it would remain on sale for many years and would eventually be considered the first ever goth song and a classic of the genre. Bauhaus were also known for their eclectic stage persona and Murphy's ability to feed on a crowd's mood and utilise their tensions to embellish his performance. As a result the band became a must-see-live band and a favourite of many British music magazines.

They released several more singles in the months to come, "Dark Entries", "Terror Couple Kill Colonel" and a cover of T. Rex's "Telegram Sam" all of which helped to swell Bauhaus' fan-base. Their debut album In the Flat Field was not warmly received by the British press but is now regarded as one of the best ever goth albums. Although it didn't make much headway into the pop charts - topping out at No.72 - it hit the top spot of many indie charts. Their second album Mask saw Bauhaus refining their sound, less dark and intense and now using the occasional keyboards. It was their third album, The Sky's Gone Out, that saw them finally reach the pop charts with a cover of the David Bowie hit "Ziggy Stardust". The track reached No.4 and led to an appearance on the popular British TV music programme Top of the Pops.

Their next album Burning from the Inside, would prove to be their last. The band split even before the album was released with Murphy suffering from ill health and feeling creatively limited by their 'goth' image. They played their last gig at the Hammersmith Palais in London on the fifth of July 1983. Fans, warned by the band's crew that this might be their last, kept the band on stage for encore after encore until finally David J walked off stage after uttering the words "rest in peace" to fans. Their have been several reconciliation attempts and the band have played together recently, in 2005, at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, then a full tour of North America, Mexico and Europe in late 2005 and early 2006.