Leeds Irish Centre 19/05/1988

If you have more information or memorabilia related to this gig that you’re happy to share, please get in touch.

Set List

  1. Fisherman’s Tale
  2. Road
  3. Touch Me
  4. Christine
  5. Man To Child
  6. Plastic
  7. Sulphur
  8. Nothing To Me
  9. Shine On
  10. Destroy The Heart

Notes

Quite simply, this gig represented a huge milestone in The House Of Love journey. Audiences on this UK mini-tour were commonly only 10-50 people, but this evening there was one influential attendee – John Peel. Impressed, he went on to champion them on his radio show, playing one or two tracks from the debut album every night. (Back in the internetless 80s many of us relied on John Peel, the NME and Melody Maker for our cultural direction.) The result was music press clamour, sell-out gigs, TV appearances, talk of The House Of Love being the next big thing and, at the end of 1988, three entries in the esteemed John Peel Festive 50: Love In A Car (18th), Christine (9th) and at number 1, Destroy The Heart. That wasn’t a bad result considering the competition that year – Jesus & Mary Chain, Pixies, The Fall, My Bloody Valentine, Nick Cave, Morrissey etc.

Quotes

“The House Of Love showed within seconds that they have that inner tension that makes for a great rather tahn a merely good band… There are so many moments of spooky, elusive beauty in the songs and in their playing but you cannot allow attention to wander for a second. This was one of those rare performances that I wishes I could have taken away with me.” John Peel