| The Apartments | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brisbane, Australia |
| Genres | Indie rock, jangle pop, chamber pop |
| Years active | 1978–1979, 1984–present (with several periods of inactivity) |
| Labels | Able Label, Hot, Rough Trade, Glass, New Rose |
| Associated acts | The Go-Betweens, Zero, Out Of Nowhere, Laughing Clowns, Cleopatra Wong, The Colors, Big Heavy Stuff, The Cruel Sea |
| Members | |
| Peter Milton Walsh | |
| Past members | |
| Michael O'Connell Peter Whitby Peter Martin Graeme Beavis Gary Warner Joe Borkowski Bruce Carrick Graham Lee Henry McKenzie Michael Couvret Mark Dawson Ed Kuepper Greg Atkinson John Willsteed Ken Gormley Gene Maynard Eliot Fish George Bibicos Nick Allum Judy Anderson Jurgen Hobbs |
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The Apartments was an Australian indie band that first formed in 1978 in Brisbane, broke up in 1979, and reformed several times since.
Contents |
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).[1] While in The Apartments, Walsh briefly joined the Go-Betweens. 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.[1] 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.[1] The album became a cult hit in France.[2] 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.[1][2] 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".[3] Walsh reformed The Apartments for a few gigs in 2007.[4]
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.[5]
"Peter Walsh, of The Apartments" played three shows in France in November 2009.[6] 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.
The song "Mr Somewhere" was covered by This Mortal Coil 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.