The Sisterhood

The Sisterhood

The Sisterhood is a short-lived English musical project formed by Andrew Eldritch after the 1985 breakup of The Sisters Of Mercy. It centres on Eldritch as writer and producer, with his drum machine Doktor Avalanche as part of the lineup, and a rotating group billed as The Chorus Of Vengeance. Named contributors include Lucas Fox on percussion and vocals, Patricia Morrison on vocals, James Ray on guitar and vocals, Alan Vega, and Sara-Jane Skeete on background vocals for GUN.

Background and formation

The project begins after a prior agreement around The Sisters Of Mercy's split, in which Eldritch and the departing members Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams expect the band name to be retired. When Eldritch learns that Hussey and Adams are using similar names and preparing to use The Sisterhood, he records and releases material under that name first. The project is used to secure the name before the other act can adopt it.

Releases

The Sisterhood releases the single "Giving Ground" on Eldritch's independent Merciful Release label, followed by the album Gift. The title Gift is chosen by Eldritch, who lives in Hamburg, and is intended to mean "poison" in German. Eldritch cannot perform vocals on the studio recordings because of his earlier recording contract with The Sisters Of Mercy.

Aftermath

The project ends in 1986 after serving its purpose. Eldritch later reforms The Sisters Of Mercy, rerecords "Colours" from Gift with his own vocals as a B-side to "This Corrosion", and includes material from The Sisterhood in The Sisters Of Mercy's live shows from 1993 onwards.