The Mission was formed by members of The Sisters of Mercy after that band split up. In the United States, the band was called The Mission UK because there was already a group named The Mission in the U.S.
The band was formed in 1985 by guitarist and singer Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams from The Sisters of Mercy, supplemented by drummer Mick Brown from Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and Simon Hinkler from Pulp. The Mission was originally called The Sisterhood and played songs originally written for The Sisters of Mercy. Singer Andrew Eldritch was against the use of the name The Sisterhood, partly because The Sisters of Mercy's fan club was called that, and therefore formed a musical project that released an album and single under the name The Sisterhood. As a result, the group had to look for a new name and chose The Mission.
The band signed a record deal for seven albums with Phonogram Records, released their debut album Gods Own Medicine and toured Europe with The Cult, followed by a U.S. tour in 1986.
During the world tour Children Play, the band was at the height of their fame. The band members formed a glam rock tribute band, The Metal Gurus, and recorded a cover of Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody together with Noddy Holder and Jim Lea of Slade. Nevertheless, the band was struggling due to constant quarrels, culminating in the departure of Simon Hinkler.
With the third album, Masque, The Mission's sound changed from gothic rock to a more cheerful pop sound. Fans were disappointed and the album was a flop. Craig Adams left the band for The Cult. In 1993, the group made a comeback, now with Mick Brown, Wayne Hussey, guitarist Mark Gemini-Thwaite, bassist Andy Cousin and keyboardist Rik Carter, resulting in the album Neverland. After a short tour including Belgium and the Netherlands, the band decided to call it a day in 1996.
In 1999, Hussey reunited the band (with Craig Adams, Mark Gemini-Thwaite and Scott Garrett from The Cult) to tour the U.S. together with Gene Loves Jezebel. Due to the success of this tour, the band decided to continue with a world tour. The Mission played at several European music festivals and released a new album, Aura, in 2001.
The band members changed frequently: Mark Gemini-Thwaite left the band in 2001 to tour with Tricky and was replaced by Rob Holliday (Sulpher, The Prodigy). In 2002, Craig Adams left to later join The Alarm. He was replaced by Richie Vernon. Drummer Scott Garrett left a few months later and was replaced by Steve Spring. In 2005, Mark Gemini-Thwaite returned to The Mission.
Top 2000
In the 24th edition of the Top 2000, there are no songs by The Mission.
Sunday Morning Classic
On 12 February 2023, The Mission took to our highly coveted Sunday Morning Classic stage with their 3rd studio album Carved In Sand from 1990. It reached #7 in the UK Albums Chart, making it the best-selling album in The Mission's career. Four singles were released from the album. The band had invited fan club members to help select the tracks for the album.
'Amelia' is a very strong opener that immediately grabs you by the throat. The lyrical structure and the way of singing are fantastic, the story terrible (the song is apparently based on a letter from a fan). 'Amelia' flows beautifully into 'Into The Blue', another gem. 'Butterfly On A Wheel' is a heavenly song, as is 'Deliverance'. So beautifully constructed.
I find it a pity that the band never really broke through; this album is pretty much their peak of fame. On the other hand, perhaps it's also good that they have always remained somewhat obscure.
For many, this album falls short of their predecessors, but for me, it really doesn't. It's a joy every time.
Source: Wikipedia and various sites Photo: Stefan Füsers/Lichtjäger
