Flatmates, The

***THE FLATMATES were formed in 1985 in Bristol, UK, a product of the city’s highly active mid-80s indie club scene (The Mission Club, The Bunker, EEC Punk Rock Mountain). Over the next 12 months they became one of the first bands to set the scene for what has become known to pop historians as the ‘C86 Movement’. 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 (and 42 on the New Musical Express’s national chart). Despite a lengthy period without record releases or gigs, The Flatmates never really went away. One of the traits that set The Flatmates apart from the mass of indie bands that followed in their wake was that, from the very start, The Flatmates were all about the songs. In 2013 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 vinyl, issued by Optic Nerve. Since 2013, The Flatmates have played numerous shows, including tours of the US East coast, France and Germany. 2019 has seen 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, also the lead track on the new album. Whilst the new songs are written from a more mature viewpoint, The Flatmates have not mellowed.