Description

We welcome The Flatmates to Oxford alongside their pal Helen McCookerybook! The indie ? pop ? punk band were formed in 1985 in Bristol, UK, a product of the city?s highly active mid-80s indie club scene. Their simple aim was to make classic pop tunes combining the energy of 70s punk bands such as The Ramones and The Buzzcocks, the cool pop charm of 60s girl bands like The Ronettes and Shangri-Las, seasoned with an artful pinch of The Velvet Underground.

Between 1986 and 1989 they released five singles on guitarist Martin Whitehead's Subway Organization label, all of which reached the upper levels of the UK indie charts, with ?Shimmer? achieving an Indie chart No.1. The Flatmates were US college radio favourites in the late 80s, and ?I Could Be In Heaven? and ?Shimmer? both reached the hallowed ground of UK DJ John Peel's annual listeners' chart, The Festive 50. They toured extensively, including three appearances at Glastonbury festival, and recorded three sessions for the BBC - two of them for John Peel and their
third, for Janice Long, being released as an EP by Strange Fruit Records.
While many of their contemporaries went on to find a degree of fame and fortune on major labels, The Flatmates remained determinedly independent. Two collections of Flatmates material were released, ?Love and Death? (The
Subway Organization 1989) and ?Potpourri (Hits, Mixes and Demos ?85 ? ?89)? (Cherry Red Records 2005), but back then they never recorded the classic album they knew was in them.

Fast forward to 2013, and the band added Swedish singer Lisa Bouvier, released a single (?You Held My Heart? on Bristol?s Archdeacon of Pop label), and resumed gigging. In 2015 there was a single on Italian label Astro Girl, featuring cover versions of songs by Prince and Cinerama, as well as a reissue of the Potpourri compilation, for the first time on (pink! double!) vinyl, issued by Optic Nerve. Since 2013, The Flatmates have played numerous shows, including tours of the US East coast, France and Germany.
2019 saw the reissue of the ?Love and Death? collection, as well as the release of their eighth single ?Shut Up And Kiss Me?, on Greek label Old Bad Habits, which preceded the release of the band?s eponymously titled first studio album, officially their debut.

?The Flatmates? was released in early 2020 by The Subway Organization in Europe (the label?s first release since 1994), and by Happy Happy Birthday To Me in the US. The self-recorded album marked the culmination of a very fruitful period of writing for the band, with main songwriter guitarist Martin Whitehead?s songs being augmented by contributions from singer Lisa Bouvier and keyboard player Rocker.

Whilst the new songs are written from a more mature viewpoint, The Flatmates have not mellowed. Live they are a five-piece gang, with Lisa?s personality very much to the front and with an onstage energy and chemistry few can match. Long time favourites such as ?I Could Be In Heaven?, ?Shimmer? and ?Happy All The Time? still feature in their set, alongside a clutch of songs from ?The Flatmates? album, arguably their strongest material to date. In November 2022 the band embark on their longest UK tour in 30 years.

Description

56 Walton Street,

Oxford,

Oxfordshire,

England,

OX2 6AZ.