When the Lotus Eaters debuted, observers in Liverpool, England, wrongly placed the band inside the New Romantic scene. Although vocalist Peter Coyle, guitarist Jeremy Kelly, bassist Mike Dempsey, and drummer Stephen Creese dressed with the refined elegance and sported the stylish cuts typical of that movement, their sound remained quieter and more rooted in folk than the synth-driven Euro disco produced by Japan, Visage, and Duran Duran. The quartet formed in 1982 after Coyle left the Jass Babies and Kelly, who had played guitar in the Wild Swans alongside former Teardrop Explodes keyboardist Paul Simpson, sought a new partnership. Because the Jass Babies had no opening for a guitarist, Coyle and Kelly instead began laying down tracks as the Lotus Eaters and secured a deal with Arista Records. Their debut single, “The First Picture of You,” arrived in 1983 and became a U.K. chart success, establishing the group’s signature atmosphere through Coyle’s breathy croon conveying romantic longing and Kelly’s jangly guitar lines. The 1984 album No Sense of Sin soaked in 1960s influences, particularly the wistful pop of the Zombies and the Left Banke, yet it barely registered with British listeners and sat unsold in local stores. Over time, however, a devoted following emerged in the Philippines and Japan, turning the record into a sought-after rarity whose copies later commanded steep sums online. The band issued one final single, the acrid “It Hurts,” in 1985 before disbanding. Coyle later issued several solo albums, while Kelly returned to the Wild Swans. In 1998 the BBC radio sessions collection titled The First Picture of You appeared, and No Sense of Sin received a CD reissue that added bonus tracks. That April, Coyle and Kelly resumed work together, entering the studio to begin a second Lotus Eaters album.
