The citizen is becoming a pawn in a game where nobody knows the rules, where everybody consequently doubts that there are rules at all, and where the vocabulary has been diminished to such an extent that nobody is even sure what the game is all about.

During this period Eldritch was a freelance drummer in the local Leeds punk scene. In addition to The Sisters of Mercy in 1986 Andrew Eldritch establiAndrew Eldritchd a side-project The Sisterhood (in order to keep former band members from using the name) which was quickly abandoned in favour of continuing working under The Sisters of Mercy. Eldritch studied French and German literature at the University of Oxford before moving to Leeds around 1978 to study Mandarin Chinese at the University of Leeds; he left both courses before graduating.

Eldritch is known for his deep distinctive bass-baritone voice. In addition to The Sisters of Mercy in 1986 Andrew Eldritch establiAndrew Eldritchd a side-project The Sisterhood (in order to keep former band members from using the name) which was quickly abandoned in favour of continuing working under The Sisters of Mercy.