Although the 1983 breakup of Bauhaus was cause for intense consternation among the black-clothed Goth set, an almost-version of the band (sans dramatic leader Peter Murphy) bounced back in the form of Love And Rockets, who quickly achieved levels of respect and popularity within the scene that surprisingly rivaled their former incarnation. Known for alternating between the heavy fuzz guitars of such psych-outs as "Kundalini Express" and "Dog-End Of A Day Gone By" with the strumming acoustics of later singles like "No New Tale To Tell," Love And Rockets took the gloomy Bauhaus sound and modernized it, factoring in the industrial influences that took root and grew in the late '80s.
After the big split, Murphy's backup band, consisting of brothers Kevin Haskins and David J and their onetime school chum Daniel Ash, went off in their own directions at first. J spent a year or so playing guitar with the folksy-punk Jazz Butcher. Ash and ex-Bauhaus roadie Glenn Campling had been experimenting with the proto-Love-And-Rocketsy Tones On Tail since 1981, and Haskins jumped on as soon as he found himself bandless. Although Tones On Tail had some success with buzzy singles like the club hit "Go!" the band shortly fell prey to those notorious internal disputes. When J split from the Jazz Butcher, he rejoined his previous bandmates to form Love And Rockets (who borrowed their name from the Hernandez Bros.' popular comic book). A string of excellent full-length releases followed between 1985 and 1989, including the surprise top 10 hit "So Alive." During this period, there were also occasional live and video appearances by Love And Rockets' costumed alter egos, the Bubblemen (ostensibly space aliens; they actually look more like big, wingless bees), who even released their very own EP, The Bubblemen Are Coming. But after 1989's self-titled album, Love And Rockets seemingly split up, a state which appeared to be permanent due to the slew of solo albums Ash and J released during the following five years.
Fortunately, Love And Rockets continued their bounce-back history in 1994, when they reformed, switched labels to American and released two more albums, Hot Trip To Heaven and Sweet F.A. The latter, released in 1996, has obtained a semi-mythical status among the group's followers due to a fire during recording at label head Rick Rubin's house, which burned down the building and the album's original demos (and very nearly the band themselves, who fortunately escaped unharmed). Love and Rockets currently consider Los Angeles home, and where all three band members have been spotted DJing at local techno clubs around town. Their excellent new album, Lift, defnitely has a techno feel, and even features remix work by the likes of KMFDM, Deep Dish, Superstar DJ Keoki and Mood II Swing, as well as vocals by Luscious Jackson.
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