The Craze, The Submerged Tenth, Jack Plug and The Sockettes were all precursors to the group, who within six weeks morphed into Bauhaus when Murphy was contacted for being a 'beautiful misfit' that Daniel Ash remembered from school.
Taking their name from the modernist art movement from early 20th century Germany, they made their live debut on New Years Eve 1978, and by the summer of 1979 had released the legendary 'Bela Lugosi's Dead', which was recorded in one take and has set the benchmark for hundreds of goth pretenders ever since (despite the band insisting that no album feature the original version since it's original release).
Live shows were influential, using a minimalist lighting rig ('Colored lights are for Christmas trees' - Bauhaus), video projections and strobes that have been adopted by industrial rock artists such as Nine Inch Nails. And the music? Exploding drums, throbbing basslines and a variety of guitar sounds from ramshackle punk, Nick Drake style arpeggio to Gang of Four staccato rhythms. It's hardly a surprise that they were soon signed to 4AD Records, where they released three singles before the debut album 'In The Flat Field'.
Late in 1980, they embarked on a U.S. tour, and returned early the following year after signing to the Beggars Banquet label. 'Kick In the Eye' was their next single, and featured a surprisingly funky bassline for a band usually associated with doom and gloom. The follow-up, 'The Passion of Lovers' was written and recorded within a day to give it a spontaneous feel, and showed a band whose songwriting was maturing quickly. The subsequent album, 'Mask' continued this trend, whilst still retaining an experimental edge.
Although the band had made some great videos, the first appearance of any of them on TV came when Peter Murphy appeared in a series of advertisements for Maxell tapes. This in turn led to a cameo role in 'The Hunger', which was set in New York and updated the 'vampire' myth. Bauhaus were featured playing 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' in a club, and the film also featured one of their more obvious influences, David Bowie. Later, they would record and release a cover version of 'Ziggy Stardust', which became their biggest hit (no.15 in the UK charts) but soon saw them labelled as merely Bowie copyists. However, this was no discouragement to record buyers, who helped the album 'The Sky's Gone Out' enter the charts at number four.
The band were scheduled to record another album, but Peter Murphy contracted viral pneumonia. Undaunted, the band began recording without him, and by the time he was sufficiently well to return the album was nearly finished. Re-interpreting the vocals and only collaborating on four songs as a complete unit, the album hinted at the split that would follow shortly after. However, it also gave Bauhaus the chance to offer up the classic single, 'She's In Parties', which gave them another top 30 hit.
Following a Japanese tour, they returned to the UK in June and July, and as the final show in Hammersmith ended, David left the stage after uttering the words 'rest in peace'. The album 'Burning From the Inside' was released, and entered the top 10 as the band announced that they were no longer together.
The ex-Bauhaus musicians were no less prolific after the split, with Murphy embarking on a solo career, and Tones On Tail, Dali's Car and Love and Rockets featuring various members. A re-united Bauhaus emerged in 1998 for a series of U.S. shows, all of which sold out within 15 minutes, and a retrospective album, 'Crackle' was released.
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE BAUHAUS: Killing Joke, Joy Division, The Cure, The Birthday Party, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Roxy Music, David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Christian Death, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Placebo, Gang of Four, Interpol.