Chapterhouse

Chapterhouse are a British shoegaze band from the early 1990s, originally from Reading, England. Formed in 1987 by Andrew Sherriff and Stephen Patman, the band began performing alongside Spacemen 3. The band reunited for a few shows in 2008-2010 and again from 2026 onward. The band comprises 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.