Are the sisters of mercy still touring?

The Sisters of Mercy are an English gothic rock band that formed in 1980 in Leeds, England. The band was founded by guitarist and vocalist Andrew Eldritch. Over the years, the Sisters of Mercy have gone through various lineup changes, with Eldritch remaining the only constant member. The Sisters of Mercy were a pioneering band in the gothic rock and post-punk genres. Some of their most popular songs include “This Corrosion,” “Temple of Love,” and “More.” At their peak in the 1980s, the Sisters of Mercy were able to sell out large venues and had a dedicated cult following. Their touring schedule and activity slowed down in the 1990s and 2000s, but Eldritch has continued to tour and release new material under the Sisters of Mercy name on occasion. Fans are often curious to know if the Sisters of Mercy are still actively touring in recent years.

Background on the Sisters of Mercy’s Touring History

The Sisters of Mercy were very active in touring and performing live during the 1980s. Their early tours included shows across the UK and Europe in small clubs and theaters. In 1985, the band began regularly selling out larger venues of over 1,000 capacity. From 1985 to 1988, the Sisters of Mercy toured extensively all over the world in support of their successful second and third albums. They headlined their own tours in Europe, North America, and Australia. Some of their notable tours included:

• The Reptile House Tour (Europe, autumn 1986)
• The Crash and Burn Tour (Europe, spring 1987)
• The Floodland Tour (Europe and North America, 1987-1988)
• The Australian Floodland Tour (Australia, 1988)

The Sisters of Mercy played many of the major music festivals around this time, including appearances at Reading Festival and Glastonbury Festival. Eldritch was known for his unpredictable and inconsistent live performances during this period. Shows would sometimes end abruptly after just a few songs.

The early 1990s saw the band tour less consistently. Notable tours in this period included the Wake Tour of North America and Europe in 1990 and the Australian Under the Gun Tour in 1992. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, the Sisters of Mercy would only tour sporadically, playing a limited number of festival appearances and small tours in Europe. There were some longer jaunts like the Smoke and Mirrors Tour in 2006. But the days of lengthy global tours became less common for the reclusive Eldritch.

In more recent years, the Sisters of Mercy’s live appearances have been largely limited to intermittent festival appearances and special one-off shows when Eldritch feels inclined to perform. For example, they headlined a benefit show in London in 2010. The band has not done a proper full-fledged tour for over 15 years now.

The Sisters of Mercy’s Touring Status in Recent Years

The Sisters of Mercy have not embarked on a major tour since 2006. However, Andrew Eldritch has put together some Sisters of Mercy lineups for select festival appearances and concerts in the past decade. Though inconsistent, these sporadic live shows indicate that the Sisters of Mercy are still an active band and Eldritch still enjoys performing for audiences on occasion despite the rarity of these appearances.

Here is a timeline of the Sisters of Mercy’s live shows from 2012 to present day:

2012

• June 2 – Sisters of Mercy headline the Whitby Goth Weekend in the UK, marking their first show in 5 years.

2015

• November 29 – Sisters of Mercy headline Berlin’s Popkultur Festival.

2016

• June 4 – Sisters of Mercy play a headlining set at the Wave Gotik Treffen Festival in Leipzig, Germany.
• June 25 – Sisters of Mercy headline the Ruisrock Festival in Turku, Finland.
• July 31 – Sisters of Mercy perform at Wacken Open Air in Germany.
• August 12 – Sisters of Mercy headline Lokerse Feesten in Lokeren, Belgium.

2017

• June 9 – Sisters of Mercy play at the Sweden Rock Festival.
• June 30 – Sisters of Mercy headline the Provinssirock festival in Seinäjoki, Finland.

2018

• June 15 – Sisters of Mercy perform at the Nova Rock Festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria.

2019

• August 9 – Sisters of Mercy headline Wacken Open Air festival again.

2021

• September 18 – Sisters of Mercy play at the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California. Their first US show in over 20 years.

2022

• June 4 – Sisters of Mercy headline the Wave Gotik Treffen Festival once again.
• June 24 – Sisters of Mercy perform at the Hellfest festival in France.

As the timeline shows, Andrew Eldritch still sporadically tours with new lineups of the Sisters of Mercy, keeping the band active for special events and festivals in Europe and occasionally North America. However, these types of shows only occur once every several years now. The Sisters of Mercy have not undertaken a proper lengthy international tour for many years.

Reasons for the Sisters of Mercy’s Sporadic Touring

There are a few factors that explain why the Sisters of Mercy no longer tour extensively:

• Andrew Eldritch is very selective about live performances – He has essentially become a recluse and only plays shows when he truly feels inclined to. Eldritch does not like promoting tours and has distaste for the business side of things.
• Lack of new studio material – The band has not released a new studio album since 1990’s Vision Thing. Therefore, they lack new songs to support heavy touring.
• Personnel challenges – Eldritch has had falling outs with many former bandmates over the years, making a stable tour-able lineup harder to maintain.
• Cult following, but not mainstream – The Sisters of Mercy have a very dedicated core fanbase that will come out to see them, but their crowd is not as sizable as bands like The Cure who can tour amphitheaters.

Andrew Eldritch has cited his distrust of the music industry and disillusionment with cliche of album/tour/album/tour cycle as reasons he has stepped back from that model. However, it is clear that Eldritch does still enjoy playing for the Sisters of Mercy’s fans when he feels comfortable doing so on his own terms.

Possibility of Future Tours

It is difficult to predict the likelihood of the Sisters of Mercy undertaking a full-fledged tour again someday. On one hand, Andrew Eldritch’s approach over the last 15+ years makes it seem improbable. He does not like the rigors of planning and publicity involved with a major tour. However, it also can’t be ruled out entirely. If Eldritch wrote a new album of Sisters of Mercy material and felt motivated enough, it could spur him to do a proper tour again. The band’s intermittent festival dates show that he still is willing to get on stage with the Sisters of Mercy name occasionally. Diehard fans cling to hope that the stars may align for Eldritch to tour again someday. But given that the band has not put out new original material in 23 years now, the prospects seem low in the short term unless that changes. Whether more Sisters of Mercy tours ever transpire is likely dependent wholly upon Eldritch’s motivation and discretion.

Conclusion

In summary, the legendary gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy do still technically tour and perform live in the modern era. However, their touring activities are very sporadic and inconsistent compared the band’s heyday in the 1980s. The Sisters of Mercy will selectively book appearances at certain festivals and events when Andrew Eldritch agrees to put a lineup together. But extensive touring has ceased to be a priority for Eldritch. The band has not done a full scale global tour since 2006. They continue to hold cult appeal for their ardent fans when they do play live. However, the Sisters of Mercy are unlikely to return to heavy touring without the motivation of new material from reclusive frontman Eldritch. For now, they remain a legendary act that stays mostly dormant but still is willing reemerge for the occasional show when the timing is right. Fans hold out hope that someday their patience may again be rewarded with a full-fledged Sisters of Mercy tour. But given the band’s limited activity and output in the last 20+ years, such an occurrence is far from guaranteed. The Sisters of Mercy’s touring status can best be summarized as still active but extremely selective and sporadic.

Sisters of Mercy Tour History

The above table summarizes the major concert tours undertaken by the Sisters of Mercy during their peak touring years of the 1980s and early 1990s. After 1993, the band shifted to mostly one-off shows and sporadic festival appearances.