Formed in the early 80s by singer 'Mad' Eddie Smith, the Gargoyles quickly established a reputation in Hull as an excellent live band. However another local band, The Housemartins, were also growing in prominence, and eventually 'stole' drummer Hugh Whitaker and guitarist Ted Key (see Housemartins section). However both Ted and Hugh eventually became disillusioned with the growing fame of The Housemartins and had returned to the Gargoyles towards the end of the 80s. Their first album, 'Steamflapper', was released in 1988. Despite some interesting publicity (including the infamous nude interview on Look North) the album was not a huge success and the Gargoyles decided to call it a day. However a reunion gig is set to took place at The Adelphi Club in Hull on 14th December 2002, and hopefully more are to follow.