Simon Hinkler
Encyclopedia
Simon Thomas Hinkler is a guitarist, keyboard player, songwriter and producer from Sheffield
, most notable for being the lead guitarist for the British rock group, The Mission
from 1986 to 1990.
In late 1985 Wayne Hussey
and Craig Adams
left The Sisters Of Mercy
and formed The Mission
with Hinkler and drummer Mick Brown
. In early 1986 they 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. They continued to release 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 3 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 like seven sold out consecutive shows at the London Astoria
, headlining the famous Reading Festival twice, and also playing with U2
, The Cure
and Robert Plant
.
When Wayne Hussey
decided to disband The Mission permanently in 2008, after twenty-two years of activity, he invited Hinkler to join the then current lineup on tour. He played with the band for four nights in Germany
before moving onto the final four nights at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
from Wednesday 27 February through to Saturday 1 March 2008. The performances were subsequently released on a critically acclaimed dvd as The Mission: The Final Chapter.
Aside from The Mission, Hinkler (a well known face in the Sheffield
music scene of the 1980s) has also been a member of bands such as Pulp
(appearing on, and contributing material to their debut album It
as well as co-writing the bands' debut single "My Lighthouse
"), Artery
, The Flight Commander and Mindfeel but it was not until 2005 that he released his first solo album, Lose the Faith.
After living in New Mexico
and New York
for more than a decade, Hinkler returned to England
in 2009.
He put a band together consisting of the drummer, bassist, and guitarist from the band Abigail's Mercy and live appearances were due to begin in the latter part of 2010, the first of which was announced for Whitby Gothic Weekend
in October.
This was, however, cancelled due to problems with the band.
In December 2010 Wayne Hussey
announced live shows featuring a reformation of the original line up (minus drummer Mick Brown) of The Mission
to celebrate the bands 25th anniversary. Initially two dates were announced for October 2011 at London
O2, Brixton and O2, Leeds
.However in June 2011 Hussey announced extra tour dates in Europe
in October and November 2011.
In the early part of 2011 Hinkler played a series of guest support appearances with Anne-Marie Hurst
, The March Violets
, and The Eden House
.
In October 2011 Hinkler performed once more with a reformed Mission. A new Mission album featuring Hinkler, Craig Adams
and Hussey along with Siouxsie and the Banshees' drummer Budgie
entitled Jokerman originally announced by Hussey in March and said to be be released to coincide with the shows was revealed to be an early April fool
joke by Hussey.
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, most notable for being the lead guitarist for the British rock group, The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
from 1986 to 1990.
In late 1985 Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey is a British musician, best known as lead singer of The Mission and guitarist with The Sisters of Mercy....
and Craig Adams
Craig Adams (musician)
Craig Adams is a British musician, bass guitarist and songwriter. Over his career he worked with a variation of rockbands while also being part of a touring crew....
left The Sisters Of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
and formed The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
with Hinkler and drummer Mick Brown
Mick Brown
Mick Brown, a.k.a. "Wild" Mick Brown is a drummer who has played in the bands Dokken, Lynch Mob, and Xciter. He is a co-founder of Dokken and is known by many Dokken fans as "Wild" Mick Brown. Mick played drums for Ted Nugent on his 2006 "Unleash the Beast Global ScorchTour", and also on his 2007...
. In early 1986 they embarked on their first European tour, supporting The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
. They released 2 singles independently, both reaching No.1 in the UK alternative charts, before signing a worldwide record deal with Phonogram
Phonogram
Phonogram may refer to:* Phonogram , a comic book by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie* Phonogram , a grapheme which represents a phoneme or a combination of phonemes...
(now Universal
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
)
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. They continued to release 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 3 million.
During this period, The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
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 like seven sold out consecutive shows at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
, headlining the famous Reading Festival twice, and also playing with U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
and Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
.
When Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey is a British musician, best known as lead singer of The Mission and guitarist with The Sisters of Mercy....
decided to disband The Mission permanently in 2008, after twenty-two years of activity, he invited Hinkler to join the then current lineup on tour. He played with the band for four nights in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
before moving onto the final four nights at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from Wednesday 27 February through to Saturday 1 March 2008. The performances were subsequently released on a critically acclaimed dvd as The Mission: The Final Chapter.
Aside from The Mission, Hinkler (a well known face in the Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
music scene of the 1980s) has also been a member of bands such as Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
(appearing on, and contributing material to their debut album It
It (album)
It is the first album by British pop band Pulp. Originally given a limited vinyl release of 2000 copies in April 1983, it was re-released on CD by Cherry Red in February 1994 with three bonus tracks...
as well as co-writing the bands' debut single "My Lighthouse
My Lighthouse
"My Lighthouse" is the first single by British band Pulp, released in 1983 and taken from the band's debut album It. The song is a gentle acoustic ballad, far from the disco feel that thrust the band into prominence in the early 90's....
"), Artery
Artery (band)
Artery are a British post-punk band from Sheffield, that was founded in 1978. They were originally known confusingly as just The. After several changes in the line-up and four albums they split up in 1985...
, The Flight Commander and Mindfeel but it was not until 2005 that he released his first solo album, Lose the Faith.
After living in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for more than a decade, Hinkler returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 2009.
He put a band together consisting of the drummer, bassist, and guitarist from the band Abigail's Mercy and live appearances were due to begin in the latter part of 2010, the first of which was announced for Whitby Gothic Weekend
Whitby Gothic Weekend
Whitby Gothic Weekend, often abbreviated to WGW or simply referred to by attendees as Whitby, is a twice-yearly festival for goths, in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, organised by Jo Hampshire who runs Top Mum Promotions.-Event history:...
in October.
This was, however, cancelled due to problems with the band.
In December 2010 Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey is a British musician, best known as lead singer of The Mission and guitarist with The Sisters of Mercy....
announced live shows featuring a reformation of the original line up (minus drummer Mick Brown) of The Mission
The Mission
- Film and theater :* The Mission , 1986 film by Roland Joffé* The Mission , a.k.a. Cheung fo, by Johnnie To* The Mission , 1980 German play by former East German playwright Heiner Müller, also known as The Task- Music :* The Mission , the original score album of the 1986 film by Ennio Morricone*...
to celebrate the bands 25th anniversary. Initially two dates were announced for October 2011 at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
O2, Brixton and O2, Leeds
O2 Academy Leeds
The O2 Academy Leeds is a music venue situated in Leeds intended as a larger music venue for the city. It is run by the Academy Music Group and follows in-line with their other music venues around the UK...
.However in June 2011 Hussey announced extra tour dates in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in October and November 2011.
In the early part of 2011 Hinkler played a series of guest support appearances with Anne-Marie Hurst
Anne-Marie Hurst
Anne-Marie Hurst was the lead vocalist for the groups The Elements, Skeletal Family, and Ghost Dance. She was the lead vocalist of Elements until 1982. In December 1982, she helped form Skeletal Family...
, The March Violets
The March Violets
The March Violets are an English goth rock band of the 1980s, incorporating singers of both sexes, drum machine rhythms and echo laden electric guitar, much in the way of scene mates The Sisters of Mercy, who also originated from the city of Leeds...
, and The Eden House
The Eden House
The Eden House is a collaborative musical project, initiated by Stephen Carey and involving a collection of guest musicians and vocalists; then later joined by Tony Pettitt .Their debut album Smoke & Mirrors was released on April 6, 2009 in the United States and...
.
In October 2011 Hinkler performed once more with a reformed Mission. A new Mission album featuring Hinkler, Craig Adams
Craig Adams (musician)
Craig Adams is a British musician, bass guitarist and songwriter. Over his career he worked with a variation of rockbands while also being part of a touring crew....
and Hussey along with Siouxsie and the Banshees' drummer Budgie
Budgie (drummer)
-External links:*...
entitled Jokerman originally announced by Hussey in March and said to be be released to coincide with the shows was revealed to be an early April fool
April Fool
April Fool may refer to:*April Fools' Day, a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1**April Fool's Day for other uses*April Fool , a Beanie Baby bear produced by Ty, Inc...
joke by Hussey.
External links
- http://www.simonhinkler.com/
- http://themissionuk.com/
- http://www.pulppeople.plus.com/
- http://www.sheffieldvision.com/