The Sisterhood - interview with Lucas Fox

Lucas Fox was Andrew Eldritch’s right hand man on The Sisterhood project in 1986, helping the Sisters’ vocalist to rush-record and release the Giving Ground single to wrest control of The Sisterhood band name from Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams, and then working on the follow-up Gift mini-LP, a remastered version of which is due to be re-released on Cadiz Music in 2020. Fox, who famously was Motörhead’s first drummer before also being a founder member of London punk band Warsaw Pakt (whose only LP was released within twenty-four hours of being recorded in 1977 – a useful experience for the Giving Ground project!) and a touring and session drummer and producer for countless other acts before supporting The Sisters as a temporary member of The Scientists in 1985.

Thereafter Fox relocated to France where he became a well-respected industry figure,  resurfacing as a musician when drumming on the Pink Faeries’ new album for Cleopatra Records in 2018. Now writing his musical autobiography, Lucas Fox gave a series of interviews last year in which he spoke in some detail about his involvement with The Sisterhood (notably in this Croatian interview) amongst many other projects, and when his old friend and music paper lensman Tony Mottram kindly suggested to The Sisters of Mercy 1980-1985 Facebook fan group administrator that he would be happy to pass on any questions to Lucas Fox, I jumped at the opportunity to find out more about one of the most fascinating periods of both his and Andrew Eldritch’s very different forty year musical careers.

Lucas very kindly provided full answers to my questions below, which help to confirm many aspects of The Sisterhood project and to add some extra details in places. I am very grateful to Phil, to Tony and of course to Lucas, and hope that you find the latter’s answers as interesting as I do.

NVL: What can you remember of when you first met the Sisters?
Lucas Fox: We were based at the same office Ladbroke Grove in London. Like other Gothic bands of the time they wore only black, as did I.

NVL: What were your first impressions?
Lucas Fox: Andrew was austere and aloof, but Wayne and Craig and I got on straight away. Andrew and I warmed to each other as we got to know each other.

NVL: Eldritch has often stated that he was a big Motörhead fan – did he regularly grill you about your time in the band?
Lucas Fox: Not “grill”… but he would ask questions about Lemmy occasionally - about sulphate consumption,  about our musical interests when we (Lemmy and I) started the band…

NVL: Could you hear much of a Motörhead influence in the Sisters’ sound?
Lucas Fox: Not really. There were/are far more dynamics in the Sisters’ song arrangements. At full tilt there are some likenesses, but I couldn’t really say that I see a lot of influence.

NVL: Eldritch drummed on the first TSOM single but has employed a drum machine ever since. Did you often discuss this issue with him, the merits of human versus machine?
Lucas Fox: After he’d seen me play with The Scientists and knew I’d been producing. My drumming style with The Scientists intrigued him and I think he had a yearning.

NVL: When you toured with The Sisters as last-minute replacement drummer for the Scientists, was that your first major tour for a while, as it was seven years since Warsaw Pakt split up?
Lucas Fox: I worked with Carl Groszman’s White Lightning, recording and touring, with SPYS (same), Walking Wounded, Freddie “Fingers Lee”, Fools Dance (Simon Gallup of the Cure)… I played, recorded and toured with Martin Stephenson (& the Daintees)... and many sessions..

NVL: Were you aware on the Scientists’ tour with The Sisters that the band was on the verge of splitting up?
Lucas Fox: No

NVL: When you were asked to join the Sisters for Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door [at the Brighton Top Rank gig on April 1^st, 1985), was that pre-planned, or just a last-minute spur of the moment thing?
Lucas Fox: On the moment, it was Andrew’s idea.

NVL: That gig was Gary Marx’s last show with the Sisters. Did you know that this would be the case at the time?
Lucas Fox: No, I didn’t.

NVL: Was it a surprise when Andrew contacted you to work at the beginning of 1986 to work on the Sisterhood project, or had he already mooted the idea the previous year?
Lucas Fox: No, it was a reaction to Wayne & co wanting to use the name Sisterhood (the Sisters fan club)...

NVL: As you may be aware, Andrew has the reputation of being something of a perfectionist in the studio, and some have found him difficult to work with as a result. How did you find him in that regard?
Lucas Fox: Complicated, fascinating, sometimes difficult, always obsessive...

NVL: Were you aware of the importance of rush-releasing the “Giving Ground” to secure the band name and the publishing deal advance when you were recording the song?
Lucas Fox: Yes, but not the publishing advance part.

NVL: Was there a lot of pressure?
Lucas Fox: Well, I just went for it as usual.

Was the atmosphere different when you went to Fairview to record “Gift”?
Lucas Fox: Yes it was just me and Andrew and Roy the engineer for 6 weeks, only at night, apart from when James Ray or Patricia were there.

NVL: Were the songs in a fully finished form and it was just a case of recording them, or were they basic ideas which were then worked out in the studio?
Lucas Fox: Most didn’t exist at all!

NVL: Were you surprised by the content of The Sisterhood material, which was very different to The Sisters of Mercy’s output?
Lucas Fox: No, it was still obviously Andrew’s work and style.

NVL: Have you listened back to the album much since?
Lucas Fox: Yes, quite a few times.

NVL: Did Alan Vega visit the studio or did he contribute via tape ?
Lucas Fox: No, it was by tape.

NVL: Was there any other times subsequently when you worked with Andrew?
Lucas Fox: No, just the mixes at Eel Pie [Pete Townshend’s studios in Twickenham near London] after the sessions at Hull.

NVL: More recently, The Sisters of Mercy have covered Motörhead’s Capricorn and Larry Wallis’ Police Car in live shows. Have you heard either of them (easily findable on YouTube) and if so, what did you think of them?
Lucas Fox: No, I must listen to them!

NVL: Where do you rank The Sisterhood in the various musical projects you have been involved in over your career?
Lucas Fox: As a very interesting project.

NVL: You drummed on some old Motörhead songs at a show with a Greek tribute towards the end of 2019 ….
Lucas Fox: Yes, it went fabulously well, hundreds of autograph signings (+selfies etc) and I got to play 3 Motörhead songs that hadn’t been played in that version since 1975, an awesome experience! Greek metal fans are great and know all the words ...

NVL: And would you like to work with Eldritch again one day? Are you still in touch with him?
Lucas Fox: Yes, I wouldn’t mind but I can’t see it being likely, and no, we’re not in touch.

Thanks again to Lucas for his reminiscences of a facinating time in TSOM history. Keep an eye out for his musical autobiography which will be a wonderful insight into the early days of metal, punk and goth!