Waterboys

The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band’s membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. The early Waterboys sound was dubbed “The Big Music” after a song on their second album, A Pagan Place. This musical style was described by Scott as “a metaphor for seeing God’s signature in the world.” It either influenced or was used to describe a number of other bands, including Simple Minds, The Alarm, Big Country, the Hothouse Flowers and World Party, the last of which was made up of former Waterboys members. The Waterboys released their third album, This Is the Sea, in October 1985. It sold better than either of the two earlier albums, and managed to get into the Top Forty. A single from it, “The Whole of the Moon”, reached number 26 in the UK. Promotion efforts were hampered by Scott’s refusal to perform on Top of the Pops, which insisted that its performers lip sync.