A fervent strain of rock music infused with an aged soul sensibility enabled the Faith Brothers to confront pressing political and moral concerns without descending into sermonizing. Their first release, the 1985 single ‘Country Of The Blind’, established this approach by lambasting a country gripped by rampant consumerism and an eroding welfare system. Also issued that year, ‘Stranger On Home Ground’ reflected the group’s personal concerns over eroding communal bonds, particularly in the west London district of Fulham where they had come of age. Closing out 1985 on a hopeful note came ‘Eventide (A Hymn For Change)’, whose title was later adopted for the band’s debut album on the Virgin Records offshoot 10. Core songwriter Billy Franks (guitar, vocals) was joined by Lee Hirons (bass), his brother Mark (guitar), Henry Trezise (keyboards), Mark Waterman (saxophone), Will Tipper (trumpet) and Steve Howlett (drums). The album Eventide, however, lacked the directness of the preceding singles and registered as comparatively forced and subdued. In 1986 ‘Whistling In The Dark’ emerged as another single yet failed to register on the charts. The Faith Brothers resurfaced in 1987 with A Human Sound, though neither this release nor its two singles, ‘That’s Just The Way It Is To Me’ and ‘Consider Me’, attracted meaningful attention, prompting the group to split soon afterward.
