The band comprised of Andrew Sherriff (guitar/vocals), Stephen Patman (guitar/vocals), Simon Rowe (guitar), Jon Curtis (bass) and Ashley Bates (drums).
Chapterhouse took the unusual step of rehearsing and gigging for well over a year before recording even a demo tape. They were initially lumped in with the British acid rock scene, a mistake hardly rectified by the band's early performances supporting the rather laid-back Spacemen 3. Chapterhouse eventually escaped from that genre only to find themselves thrust amongst the shoegaze groups of 1991 (with the likes of Lush, Ride, Moose and Slowdive), so called because of the bands' static live shows and insular music.
Bassist Jon Curtis left early on to study, being replaced by Russell Barrett, who also fronted his own garage band, the Bikinis. Chapterhouse eventually signed to the newly formed Dedicated label, releasing a series of lavishly acclaimed singles, including Pearl, which reached the UK Top 75, and which revelled in distorted melodies and attracted a healthy following.
Their first LP Whirlpool, released in 1991, has been cited as one of the genre's high points, but failed to capture a wider market. In the same year, Chapterhouse also appeared to muted reaction at Reading Festival immediately following Nirvana's UK debut, an event which was seen to sound the death knell for shoegazing.
Blood Music, stylistically different, was released in 1993. Two singles from this album, She's a Vision and We Are the Beautiful, were relatively successful, but the album was withdrawn due to a sample-related lawsuit. Global Communication reworked Blood Music for their album Pentamerous Metamorphosis. Spooky remixed We Are Beautiful: We Are the Beautiful (Spooky's Ugly as Sin mix) / We Are the Beautiful (Spooky's Extravaganja dub mix).
The band split in 1994 and released no further new material other than a double CD in 1996 called Rownderbout, compiling their singles, various B-sides, rarities and unreleased demos. Sherriff went on to form Bio.com, Bates formed Cuba and Rowe went on to play guitar for Mojave 3.
The music of Chapterhouse was mostly out of print on CD until March 2006, when Cherry Red Records reissued the album Whirlpool with bonus tracks, and for the first time, lyrics.
The band played a version of Love Forever with Ulrich Schnauss on the Barn Stage at the 2008 edition of Truck Festival. In response to requests over the years, Chapterhouse played live at Club AC30's Reverence show at the ICA on 26 November 2009 along with Ulrich Schnauss and Kirsty Hawkshaw.
This was preceded on 23 November by a warm up show at the Luminaire in Kilburn. The band also played at The Scala in London on 18 March 2010, and undertook short tours of Japan in April 2010 and North America in May 2010. The North American tour had to be postponed due to the Icelandic ash cloud cancelling flights, stranding Patman in Japan. Chapterhouse rescheduled the North American tour for September and October 2010.
The band has yet to continue touring beyond 2010.
Come Heaven
Chapterhouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In your eyes... I'm drowning
Days speed by... sleeping
Distant times come nearer and go
Into the sky... soaring
Come to me... heaven
Climbing high... melting
The lyrics to Chapterhouse’s song Come Heaven seem to evoke a sense of longing and desire for transcendence. The use of metaphors such as swimming beneath someone’s skin and drowning in their eyes suggest a deep emotional connection or obsession. The repetition of “distant times come nearer and go” further adds to the theme of longing for something that is out of reach, whether it be a past memory or a future state of being. The chorus, “Come to me… heaven” can be interpreted as a plea for the subject of the song to reach out and provide the salvation that the singer is yearning for.
The second verse continues the theme of soaring and reaching for something beyond one’s grasp, with the lines “into the sky… soaring” and “climbing high… melting”. The sense of euphoria and release is palpable in these moments, while still maintaining the undertones of melancholy that permeate the rest of the song. Overall, Come Heaven is a beautifully crafted song that captures the complex emotions of longing, desire, and transcendence in its lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Beneath your skin... I'm swimming
I am so deeply embedded in your being, it feels like I am swimming beneath the surface of your skin.
In your eyes... I'm drowning
Your eyes hold such a powerful intensity, it feels like I am drowning in their depths.
Days speed by... sleeping
Time slips away so quickly when I am lost in slumber, everything moves so swiftly as I dream the hours away.
Distant times come nearer and go
Whether the times are far behind or yet to come, they seem to draw ever closer before disappearing into the distance again.
Into the sky... soaring
I am taking off into the vast, endless expanse of the sky, soaring without abandon.
Come to me... heaven
You are my everything, my every desire, my greatest passion -- and for me, you are the very definition of heaven itself.
Climbing high... melting
I am scaling great heights, pushing myself past my limits, and melting away into the experience of it all.
Distant times come nearer and go
Once again, the past and future seem to merge together in the present, drawing ever closer and then vanishing away into some distant realm beyond.
Contributed by Aiden P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.