Two singles by The Flatmates – I Could Be In Heaven (1986) and Shimmer (1988) have featured previously on the blog. This one is from much much later.
The band emerged from Bristol and were originally together between 1985 and 1989, during which they released a total of five singles, with one critic astutely mentioning they were a fusion of Buzzcocks and The Shangri-Las, and it remains something of a mystery as to why they never came as big or famous as many of their contemporaries.
But the fact that they had such a small and high-quality back catalogue meant they were always held in high regard by fans of indie-pop guitar music, with many emerging bands in the late 00s and early 2010s citing them as big influences.
Two of the founding members, Martin Whitehead and Rocker, remained good friends after the demise of the band, and had often spoke about reforming, but were keen that any fresh line-up would write and record new material. By 2013, they had found the missing part after persuading Swedish singer Lisa Bouvier to come on board, and it was she who penned the comeback single:-
mp3: The Flatmates – You Held My Heart
Be honest. If I hadn’t given you the backstory, you’d have placed this one firmly in the late 80s, albeit the production is a lot sharper and cleaner than many from that era.
It was a very fine comeback effort. It would be followed by a triumphant performance at Indietracks 2014, and further singles in 2015 and 2019 before the debut album finally was released in 2020….the year that COVID halted the momentum of many groups and performers.
Here’s the b-side of the comeback single, one that was penned by Martin Whitehead.
mp3: The Flatmates – One Last Kiss
Am I being too cruel by saying that it’s very much b-side fodder?
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
There’s a beauty in B-Side fodder
The Flatmates, for reasons unknown, didn’t seem to garner the same interest as their contemporaries – despite some remarkable releases. Part of that reason may have been down to no LP. I’ve a few singles and compilations Love and Death and Potpourri. I was sure I had a digital copy of demos/rarities but can’t seem to find it?
This single passed me by entirely. I think the art work on this and the very later arrival of an LP – didn’t capture my attention and I just let things slide. A listen to the a-side has me thinking I made the right decision. The music and backing vocals are fine. The lead vocal leaves a lot to be desired.
Flimflamfan