Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. Their original lineup consisted of Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine assumed by many to be “Echo”, though the band denies this. In the 1982 book Liverpool Explodes!, Will Sergeant explains in an interview: The band’s early cult status quickly turned into mainstream success in the mid-1980s, as they scored a UK Top 10 hit with “The Cutter”, and their Porcupine (1983) album reached #2 (see 1983 in music). The next album, Ocean Rain (1984), again spawned hit singles to match their critical acclaim, and the band’s success continued. The departure of frontman Ian McCulloch in 1988, followed by the death of their drummer Pete de Freitas the following year, culminated with a complete split in 1990.
In 1997, however, the Bunnymen returned with the UK Top 10 hit "Nothing Lasts Forever" (see 1997 in music), and both press and fans were delighted by their heroes' return. Since then, both their artistic and commercial successes have been in something of a decline, their original post-punk sound gradually being replaced by a more retro '60s sound. Echo and the Bunnymen continue to perform regularly.
