The Flatmates, part of the mid-1980s British indie pop boom, were part of T… Read Full Bio ↴The Flatmates, part of the mid-1980s British indie pop boom, were part of The Subway Organization, a Bristol record label formed by Martin Whitehead. Whitehead is also guitarist and main songwriter for the band.

Following the group's formation in 1985, singles such as "I Could Be in Heaven", "Happy All the Time" and "Shimmer" established the band as a successful indie band but The Flatmates disbanded in April 1989 before releasing a proper studio album.

The group's core members were Martin Whitehead (guitar) and Debbie Haynes (vocals). Initially, the band also included Kath Beach (bass guitar) and Rocker (drums). Prior to recording their first single, Beach left the band and was replaced by Sarah Fletcher.

The line-up of Haynes, Whitehead, Fletcher and Rocker recorded the first two Flatmates singles, 1986's "I Could Be in Heaven" and 1987's "Happy All the Time", both Whitehead compositions. Rocker left the band prior to their third single, November 1987's "You're Gonna Cry", and was replaced by Joel O'Bierne. Ironically, "You're Gonna Cry" was a Rocker composition, the only A-side he would pen for the band.

"Shimmer", released in March 1988 as the fourth Flatmates single, was the band's biggest hit, produced by Chris Allison reaching No. 2 on the UK Indie Chart. Shortly after the single was released, Tim Rippington was added as a second guitarist. Bassist Fletcher then left The Flatmates prior to their fifth and final single "Heaven Knows". She was eventually replaced by Jackie Carrera; however it was Whitehead who played bass on "Heaven Knows", while Rippington handled all the guitar.

The group split up in 1989, with Carrera joining The Caretaker Race and Whitehead and O'Bierne forming The Sweet Young Things. Whitehead later formed the short-lived band Shrimptractor in 1992.

Two collections of Flatmates material have been released on CD, Love and Death (1989) and Potpourri (Hits, Mixes and Demos '85 - '89) (2005).

The group were reformed by Whitehead in 2013, featuring Lisa Bouvier on vocals, and released a single called "You Held My Heart" on Archdeacon of Pop Records. In August 2015, Bristol-based indie label Local Underground released a second new Flatmates single, featuring covers of "When You Were Mine" by Prince, and "Comedian" (originally titled "Comedienne") by Cinerama. The band’s first full studio album, “The Flatmates” was released in March 2020.

Life of Crime
The Flatmates Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'Life of Crime' by these artists:

AD One Mind, One Soul, One-sided and we're outa control Like a…
Disco Ensemble We never rat each other out We hold hands and listen…
Fanzui Xiangfa We're on a mission, spreading criminal thoughts across the g…
Geographer You and me we had it all wrong There was ice…
Kerry Livgren's A.D. Yea yea yea A life a crime lead to chalk lines,…
Kerry Livgrens A.D. Yea yea yea A life a crime lead to chalk lines,…
Mojave Phone Booth I don′t wanna play around no more Yeah See the that black…
Never Broke Again & Quando Rondo (This Neil on the track) The soul soldier, ha Nigga, ain't n…
The Producers It's a life of crime She wanted more than I could…

The Triffids Sunlight was hot, and your mother was calling My chest burn…
The Weirdos I don't wanna play aroun' no more I see that…
Toosii Uh missy had been gone for so long Don't know who…
Virgin Steele Lying and cheating Taking all I can get Always wanting mor…
Weirdos I don't wanna play aroun' no more I see that…