In late 1985 Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams left The Sisters Of Mercy and formed The Mission and in early 1986 embarked on their first European tour, supporting The Cult. They released 2 singles independently, both reaching No.1 in the UK alternative charts, before signing a worldwide record deal with Phonogram (now Universal).

Their first single for the new label, \"Stay With Me\", went straight into the UK chart at No. 30 followed by their debut album \"God´´s Own Medicine\" at No. 14. Over the next eight years the band released six more albums and had a further 12 hit singles including anthemic classics such as \"Wasteland\", \"Tower Of Strength\", \"Beyond The Pale\", \"Deliverance\" and \"Butterfly On A Wheel\". Total worldwide album sales to date have now well exceeded 3 million.

During this period, The Mission enhanced their reputation as one of the best and most exciting live bands in the world winning countless accolades, and inspiring both lurid media stories and a fanatical following as they toured constantly including highlights like seven sold out consecutive shows at the Astoria Theatre in London, headlining the famous Reading Festival twice, and also playing with U2, The Cure and Robert Plant.

In 1994, the band parted company with Phonogram after a number of contractual disputes and signed their label \"Neverland\" to Sony Dragnet in Europe. Two years and two more album releases later, the band decided to call a halt to the general craziness of their existence to seek respite and well earned solace.

In 1999, fully reinvigorated, The Mission reunited and after a few spectacularly successful early shows, embarked on a year long tour that saw the band visit places as far flung as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, USA, South Africa, Greece (Recon 2000 tour), including memorable appearances at the Eurorock and M´´era Luna Festivals and which culminated in a successful European tour in November/December 2000.

In late 2001 The Mission released what many consider to be their finest album to date in \"Aura\". It marked the beginning of a contemporary and exciting new era for the band and the welcome return of all of the band´´s old swagger, relevance and confidence. The album reached No. 1 in the German alternative chart and stayed there for eight weeks. The band also embarked on a German tour as special guests of ´´HIM´´ to coincide with the release of the album, quickly followed by their own very successful six week tour of Europe in early 2002.

In April of that year, The Mission returned to South America for proposed shows in Brazil, Argentina, Chile & Peru. Unfortunetly, during the course of their time in Brazil, original member Craig Adams decided that he was homesick and wanted to go home. So he did but Wayne Hussey continued on and played the remaining shows on his own with just an acoustic guitar. As soon as the South American tour was finished, the band repaired to the UK and found a replacement bass player and seamlessly carried on throughout the summer to play further successful shows in Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Ireland, Germany, USA, and the UK.

In 2003, the band prepared to embark on their next tour (Pilgrimage) which was take them once again across Europe. The new line-up of the band (Wayne being joined by Rob Holliday on guitars, Ritchie Vernon on bass and Steve Spring on drums) brought a new energy and dynamic to the band. They continued to wow crowds and critics alike who could not deny the enegy of the band in a live show was just as big as ever.

The band continued to tour during 2003 (Pilgrimage), 2004 (Breathen and Absolution) and 2005 (Lighting the Candles) with the interim periods seeing Wayne working on several side projects including those with Italian musicians, Volita Lux and the film Mercenario, resulting in the limited edition CD Single \"Breath Me In\", which reached number one in the German DAC charts.

During the 2005 \"Lighting the Candles\" tour, a double DVD of the same name was released to coincide with the tour. Packed with footage from live shows, video singles, behind the scenes footage, it has been critically acclaimed as one of the most complete video releases any band has done to date. The tour also saw the return of Mark Gemini Thwaite on guitar as Rob Holliday had prior commitments with The Prodigy.

Early 2006 saw Universal Records release \"Anthology - The Phonogram Years\" - a compilation of some of the band´s finest work plus some rare and never heard before tracks, plus \"Waves Upon the Sand / Crusade\" DVD - a re-release of two Mission videos.
2007 sees the 21st anniversary of The Mission. A time to reflect?

Maybe.....

The Mission were formed by Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams in late 1985 after they´d left The Sisters Of Mercy. In the time since they have enjoyed worldwide album sales in excess of 4 million. They have racked up 14 Top 40 UK hits. They have headlined at some of Europe´s most prestigious festivals. They have toured the world countless times, breaking records and breaking hearts in the process. During this time The Mission have also endured many line-up changes and experienced the peaks and troughs that would, and have, surely killed off many bands made of less sterner stuff. That The Mission still exist and still command a fanatically loyal worldwide audience stands as testament to their durability and the quality of both their recorded output and the excitement of their live shows.

2007 sees the 21st anniversary of The Mission. A time to look forward?

For sure.....

The Mission release their new album ´God Is a Bullet´ on SPV in April. It would´ve been easy for the band to revisit past glories but they´ve resisted. They are not looking backwards. They are looking forward. The Mission have recorded an album that is brave and adventurous. It´s a ´guitar´ album full of swagger, confidence, good tunes, and, in Wayne Hussey, a songwriter that is at the top of his game. ´God Is a Bullet´ features 15 new songs recorded between September and December 2006. The basic tracks were recorded at Nam studios, near Bath in England. The rest of the album was completed at Wayne Hussey´s own ´Green Room´ studio in Brazil. Produced by Wayne the album features the line-up of Mark Gemini Thwaite on guitar, Rich Vernon on bass, and Steve Spring on drums, as well as Wayne contributing his own unique guitar style and distinctive voice.

Musically, it is sometimes brazen, it is sometimes a whisper. It is sometimes brutal, it is sometimes seduction. It is what every Mission fan is surely hoping for without being exactly what they´re expecting. Lyrically, it is the most diverse set of lyrics ever composed by Wayne. There are songs that deal with a variety of subject matters close to his heart. The album also boasts the contributions of some very special guests. Simon Hinkler, the original guitarist with The Mission, has graced the album with some superlative guitar playing, as did Tim Bricheno, original guitarist of All About Eve. Julianne Regan, again from All About Eve, who was the female voice on notable early Mission recordings such as ´Severina´ and ´Beyond The Pale´, added her angelic voice alongside Wayne´s on a couple of tracks. The album also features the talents of cellist Caroline Dale, credits including Page & Plant, Dave Gilmour, Oasis, as well as a multitude of film soundtracks, and a regular member of the London Metropolitan Orchestra. As is violinist Cathy Thompson who can count, the Michael Nyman band, Peter Gabriel, Page & Plant, & Robbie Williams amongst her many credits.

´God Is a Bullet´ is an album that dares to challenge it´s audience. It´s an album that will surely come to be viewed as a ´classic´ in the canon of The Mission. It´s an album that attempts to take forward steps at a time when it´s expected for the band to look backwards. Anniversaries? Bah.....They´re for the sentimental. ´God Is a Bullet´ isn´t.

Source : http://www.themissionuk.com/biography.asp