H is for Hothouse Flowers, a band who Cindy introduces Dave to, her good taste in music confirming his growing sense that she was someone he wanted to spend more time with. I saw Hothouse Flowers at Hammersmith Odeon in the late 80s – I can’t remember if it was before or after their second album, Home, was released. Their first album, 1988’s People is the one that I loved. From the joyous release a minute into opening track ‘I’m Sorry’ (as detailed when Cindy plays it for Dave in Dead Man Singing) to the stomping ‘Feet On The Ground’, the album was a breath of fresh air in the dancy, poppy, hip-hoppy waters of the late 80s music scene. They were one of the bands who I expected great things from but who never went on to global domination, possibly because that wasn’t what they were looking for. The did feature in an episode of TVs Lovejoy though, which is more than U2 can say.

The band also came to my aid when I was a Youth Worker. I used to be a leader at CYFA ventures in the summer – residential holidays for teenagers with links to churches. One year there was an aloof, gothish girl who remained disdainful of everything we did, until the day when she saw that I was wearing a Hothouse Flowers tour shirt. Suddenly, her enthusiasm for the band transformed her attitude to the whole experience and she threw herself into everything for the remainder of the camp. Thanks, lads.

Who are the great lost bands in your life? Who did you think was on the verge of writing their own chapter in the history of music, but ended up a mere footnote?