In late 1985 Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams left The Sisters Of Mercy and, after enlisting the talents of Simon Hinkler and Mick Brown, formed The Mission and in early 1986 embarked on their first European tour, supporting The Cult. They released 2 singles independently, both reaching No.1 in the UK alternative charts, before signing a worldwide record deal with Phonogram (now Universal)
Their first single for the new label, ‘Stay With Me’, went straight into the UK chart at No. 30 followed by their debut album ‘God’s Own Medicine’ at No. 14. Over the next eight years the band released six more albums and had a further 13 hit singles including anthemic classics such as ‘Wasteland’, ‘Tower Of Strength’, ‘Beyond The Pale’, ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Butterfly On A Wheel’. Total worldwide album sales to date have now well exceeded four million.
During this period, The Mission enhanced their reputation as one of the best and most exciting live bands in the world winning countless accolades, and inspiring both lurid media stories and a fanatical following as they toured constantly, including highlights such as seven sold out consecutive shows at the Astoria Theatre in London, headlining the famous Reading Festival twice, and also playing with U2, The Cure and Robert Plant.
In 1994, the band parted company with Phonogram after a number of contractual disputes and signed their label “Neverland” to Sony Dragnet in Europe. Two years and two more album releases later, the band decided to call a halt to the general craziness of their existence to seek respite and well earned solace.
In 1999, fully reinvigorated, The Mission reunited and after a few spectacularly successful early shows, embarked on a year-long tour that saw the band visit places as far-flung as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, USA, South Africa, Greece (Recon 2000 tour), including memorable appearances at the Eurorock and M”era Luna Festivals and which culminated in a successful European tour in November/December 2000.
In late 2001 The Mission released what many considered to be their finest album to date in ‘AurA’. It marked the beginning of a contemporary and exciting new era for the band and the welcome return of all of the band’s old swagger, relevance and confidence. The album reached No. 1 in the German alternative chart and stayed there for eight weeks.
March 2008 saw The Mission close the curtain – for the time being at least, with Wayne Hussey disbanding the group to concentrate on solo ventures – with a sold-out European tour which culminated with 4 shows at the London Shepherds Bush Empire. The band released ‘The Final Chapter‘ DVD, which chronicled the tour, and charted at number 6 in the UK DVD chart later that year.
The year is 2011 – And 3/4 of the original line-up of the band – Wayne Hussey, Craig Adams, Simon Hinkler – reformed with the addition of a new drummer in the form of Mike Kelly, to play a sold-out European 25th-anniversary tour which ended at London’s Brixton Academy – a show that was sold out a full 6 months in advance! Encouraged by the response of fans the band extended the tour to include South & North America and then went onto record, and release in late 2013, a brand new album, ‘The Brightest Light’, which garnered the best press reviews the band had received in years, including a new fan favourite, ‘Swan Song’.
The year is now 2016 – Wayne Hussey, Craig Adams, Simon Hinkler and Mike Kelly returned with an album that some consider their finest work EVER – that album is ‘Another Fall From Grace’.
The band announced some concerts for 2021, but covid takes care of those dates, but now Wayne Hussey, Craig Adams, Simon Hinkler and Mike Kelly have announced that they will be performing live in Brighton at CHALK on Tuesday 12th April 2022. Purchase your concert tickets HERE or HERE.
After this date, The Mission will be heading off to the USA for a 31 date ‘Déjà Vu’ tour with The Chameleons and Theatre Of Hate in tow.
The Mission merch is available HERE and for further information on The Mission, visit www.themissionuk.com
