The Apartments
Encyclopedia
The Apartments was an Australia
n indie band that first formed in 1978 in Brisbane
, broke up in 1979, and reformed several times since.
. The Go-Betweens commemorated Walsh's time with them on their track "Don't Let Him Come Back".
The Apartments' first release was the "Help" single on the Able Label (also home to the Go-Betweens) in 1979. The band then split up, with Walsh relocating to New York City
, and playing with The Colors.
After breaking up, The Apartments released their debut EP "Return of the Hypnotist" in 1979. He moved on to the Laughing Clowns, playing alongside Ed Kuepper
. After spending some time in London
, he then reformed the Apartments, with a new supporting line-up of Graeme Beavis (guitar), Gary Warner (piano), Joseph Borkowski (bass), and Bruce Carrick (drums). This line-up recorded the "All You Wanted" single in 1984, before a new line-up was formed, now with former Triffids
guitarist Graham Lee
.
On the band's first album, The Evening Visits...and Stays For Years (1985, Rough Trade
), Walsh and Lee were joined by guest musicians Clare Kenny (formerly of Orange Juice
, bass), and Ben Watt
of Everything but the Girl
. The album became a cult hit in France
. After a tour with Everything but the Girl, a new line-up emerged that included Jurgen Hobbs, Judy Anderson and Nick Allum. This incarnation of the band played shows in the UK, France, Switzerland and released a single, "The Shyest Time", in 1988.
After this, the band split up again, with Allum going on to join The Fatima Mansions and Walsh returning to Australia. The Apartments reformed for a 1992 album, Drift, released on the French New Rose label, touring France, with Allum back on drums, and going on to record three further albums, A Life Full Of Farewells (1995), Apart (1997), and Fête Foraine (1998), the latter an acoustic album. Rolling Stone
praised A Life Full of Farewells, saying "for the most part, Walsh's songs enable listeners to enjoy time spent in places we would usually rather not be". Walsh reformed The Apartments for a few gigs in 2007.
The Apartments appeared in July 2007 at the Pig City event at the University of Queensland
in Brisbane
, along with The Saints
, Regurgitator
, Kev Carmody
and many others.
Peter Walsh is said to be considering more shows in France in 2010.
in their 1991 album Blood.
Other notable covers include "Knowing You Were Loved" by Renée Geyer
in 1999 on her Sweet Life album and Ed Kuepper
's reading of "Places Where The Night Is Long" on his 1995 album, Exotic Mail Order Moods.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n indie band that first formed in 1978 in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, broke up in 1979, and reformed several times since.
History
The constant in the band was songwriter and frontman Peter Milton Walsh (vocals, guitar). The original line-up also included Michael O'Connell (guitar, vocals), Peter Whitby (bass, vocals), and Peter Martin (drums). While in The Apartments, Walsh briefly joined the Go-BetweensThe Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
. The Go-Betweens commemorated Walsh's time with them on their track "Don't Let Him Come Back".
The Apartments' first release was the "Help" single on the Able Label (also home to the Go-Betweens) in 1979. The band then split up, with Walsh relocating to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and playing with The Colors.
After breaking up, The Apartments released their debut EP "Return of the Hypnotist" in 1979. He moved on to the Laughing Clowns, playing alongside Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the seminal punk band The Saints, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and later the grunge-like The Aints...
. After spending some time in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he then reformed the Apartments, with a new supporting line-up of Graeme Beavis (guitar), Gary Warner (piano), Joseph Borkowski (bass), and Bruce Carrick (drums). This line-up recorded the "All You Wanted" single in 1984, before a new line-up was formed, now with former Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
guitarist Graham Lee
Graham Lee (Australian musician)
Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
.
On the band's first album, The Evening Visits...and Stays For Years (1985, Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
), Walsh and Lee were joined by guest musicians Clare Kenny (formerly of Orange Juice
Orange Juice
Orange Juice was a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes. The band...
, bass), and Ben Watt
Ben Watt
Benjamin Brian Thomas Watt is a British musician, DJ, and record producer, best known as one half of the duo, Everything but the Girl.-Family:...
of Everything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl was a two-person English band, formed in Hull during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt . They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday...
. The album became a cult hit in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After a tour with Everything but the Girl, a new line-up emerged that included Jurgen Hobbs, Judy Anderson and Nick Allum. This incarnation of the band played shows in the UK, France, Switzerland and released a single, "The Shyest Time", in 1988.
After this, the band split up again, with Allum going on to join The Fatima Mansions and Walsh returning to Australia. The Apartments reformed for a 1992 album, Drift, released on the French New Rose label, touring France, with Allum back on drums, and going on to record three further albums, A Life Full Of Farewells (1995), Apart (1997), and Fête Foraine (1998), the latter an acoustic album. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
praised A Life Full of Farewells, saying "for the most part, Walsh's songs enable listeners to enjoy time spent in places we would usually rather not be". Walsh reformed The Apartments for a few gigs in 2007.
The Apartments appeared in July 2007 at the Pig City event at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, along with The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
, Regurgitator
Regurgitator
Regurgitator are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, currently consisting of Quan Yeomans , Ben Ely and Peter Kostic . The band formed in 1994, its original line-up consisting of Yeomans, Ely and drummer Martin Lee...
, Kev Carmody
Kev Carmody
Kevin Daniel "Kev" Carmody is an Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter. His song "From Little Things Big Things Grow" was recorded with co-writer Paul Kelly for their 1993 single; it was covered by the Get Up Mob in 2008 and peaked at #4 on the Australian Recording Industry Association singles...
and many others.
French tour, autumn 2009
"Peter Walsh, of The Apartments" played three shows in France in November 2009. Peter Walsh played with Eliot Fish (and also two french musicians on some of the songs) in Chinon, Paris (L'Européen) and Clermont Ferrand, to critical acclaim (many articles in the french press to celebrate this come-back). The band was supported by french act 49 Swimming Pools, whose members are fans of The Apartments and helped to organize the small tour.Peter Walsh is said to be considering more shows in France in 2010.
Covers
The song "Mr Somewhere" was covered by This Mortal CoilThis Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
in their 1991 album Blood.
Other notable covers include "Knowing You Were Loved" by Renée Geyer
Renée Geyer
Renée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and...
in 1999 on her Sweet Life album and Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the seminal punk band The Saints, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and later the grunge-like The Aints...
's reading of "Places Where The Night Is Long" on his 1995 album, Exotic Mail Order Moods.
Singles
- "Return of the Hypnotist" (1979) Able Label
- "All You Wanted" (1984) Hot
- "The Shyest Time" (1988) Glass
- Life EP (1995) Hot
Albums
- The Evening Visits...and Stays For Years (1985) Rough Trade
- Drift (1992) New Rose / Torn & Frayed
- A Life Full of Farewells (1995) Hot
- Fête Foraine (1996) Hot
- Apart (1997) Hot