The Housemartins

(Paul Heaton, Stan Cullimore, Ted Key, Chris Lang, Norman Cook [Alias Fatboy Slim], Hugh Whitaker, David Hemingway)

Many of their lyrics were a mixture of socialist politics and Christianity, reflecting the beliefs of the band^[3] (the back cover of London 0 Hull 4 contained the message, "Take Jesus – Take Marx – Take Hope"). The group's a cappella cover version of "Caravan of Love" (originally by Isley-Jasper-Isley) was a UK Number 1 single in December 1986.

After breaking up in 1988, Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway formed the Beautiful South, while bassist Norman Cook became an electronic dance music DJ and music producer, founding the groups Beats International, Pizzaman and Freak Power, before rebranding himself as Fatboy Slim. The band's early releases saw them described as jangle pop, which brought comparisons with bands such as the Smiths and Aztec Camera. David Quantick, writing for Spin, described them in 1986 as playing "traditional '60s-style guitar pop overlaid with soul vocals".^[10] Cook described the band as "religious, but not Christians", and the band's repertoire included gospel songs. Many of the band's lyrics have socialist themes, with Cook stating that "Paul realized that he hated writing about love...and that writing politically came easier to him", describing some of their songs as "angrily political".