Birth To The Death of A House
Couse was born in Perrystown in 1965. He met some of his future bandmates while attending school in Templeogue College and formed the band Last Chance.
The disintegration of Last Chance gave birth to A House which consisted of Couse on vocals and guitar, Martin Healy on bass, Dermot Wylie on drums, and Fergal Bunbury on guitar. A House's earliest appearance on record appears to be from the record Live at the Underground (UK, 1986) alongside other up and coming bands such as Something Happens and The Stars of Heaven, while their first single release was "Kick Me Again Jesus" in 1987. These were the beginnings of a band that would endure more than a decade, during all of which time Couse, Healy, and Bunbury would remain as its constant core members. Bunbury, in particular, still frequently collaborates with Couse.
For the entirety of its career, A House maintained a loyal fan base, primarily in Ireland and the UK, while its releases, with Couse always as the main writer, were generally well received by critics. A House had a reputation as a hard-working band with a great deal of stamina, touring regularly and releasing 5 albums, as well as singles and EPs. After their second album (I Want Too Much, released in 1990) the band were dropped by their label, Blanco y Negro Records, only to be picked up by Setanta Records. As well as enabling A House to continue, this signing led to Couse developing a strong collaborative and personal bond with Edwyn Collins, and to an enduring relationship also with The Frank and Walters, all of whom were with Setanta at that time.
Unfortunately, however, A House never experienced more than sporadic commercial success and eventually decided to call it quits in 1997, bowing out with a farewell concert at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin in February.
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