Bauhaus are an English rock band, formed in Northampton, England, in 1978. The group consists of Daniel Ash (guitar, saxophone), Peter Murphy (vocals, occasional instruments), Kevin Haskins (drums) and David J (bass). The band was originally named Bauhaus 1919 in reference to the first operating year of the German art school Bauhaus, although they shortened the name within a year of formation. One of the pioneers of gothic rock, Bauhaus were known for their dark image and gloomy sound, although they mixed many genres, including dub, glam rock, psychedelia, and funk.
Their 1979 debut single, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” is considered the harbinger of gothic rock music and has been immensely influential on contemporary goth culture. Their debut album, In the Flat Field, is regarded as one of the first gothic rock records. Their 1981 second album Mask expanded their style by incorporating various instruments such as keyboards, saxophone and acoustic guitar along with funk rhythms based tracks like “Kick in the Eye”. In 1982, Bauhaus achieved mainstream success in the United Kingdom with their third album, The Sky’s Gone Out along with a cover of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” which peaked No. 4 and No. 15 respectively on the British charts and earned an appearance on Top of the Pops. They continued to maintain their success with one more hit single “She’s in Parties” (from the band’s fourth studio album, “Burning from the Inside”) before breaking up in 1983.
After Bauhaus’ breakup in 1983, Murphy formed Dalis Car with Japan’s bassist Mick Karn before beginning a solo career later on, while Ash and Haskins continued as Tones on Tail and, later, reunited with David J to form Love and Rockets. Both enjoyed greater commercial success in the United States than Bauhaus had, but disappeared from the charts in their homeland. Bauhaus eventually reunited for a 1998 tour, again from 2005 to 2008, and once again in 2019.