The Birthday Party (band)

The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party in 1981, from left to right: Pew, Calvert, Harvey, Howard and Cave.
The Birthday Party in 1981, from left to right: Pew, Calvert, Harvey, Howard and Cave.
Background information
Also known asThe Boys Next Door
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Years active1977–1983
LabelsMissing Link, 4AD, Shock
SpinoffsNick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Past membersNick Cave
Mick Harvey
Tracy Pew
Phill Calvert
Rowland S. Howard
Websitethebirthdayparty.com.au

The Birthday Party (originally known as The Boys Next Door) were an Australian post-punk band, active from 1977 to 1983. The group's "bleak and noisy soundscapes," which drew irreverently on blues, free jazz, and rockabilly, provided the setting for vocalist Nick Cave's disturbing tales of violence and perversion.[5][6][7] Their 1981 single "Release the Bats" was particularly influential on the emerging gothic scene.[6] Despite limited commercial success, The Birthday Party's influence has been far-reaching, and they have been called "one of the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s."[5]

In 1980, The Birthday Party moved from Melbourne to London, where they were championed by broadcaster John Peel. They subsequently released two albums: Prayers on Fire (1981) and Junkyard (1982). Disillusioned by their stay in London, the band's sound and live shows became increasingly violent. They broke up soon after relocating to West Berlin in 1982. The creative core of The Birthday Party – singer and songwriter Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mick Harvey, and singer, songwriter and guitarist Rowland S. Howard – later went on to acclaimed careers.

  1. ^ Staff. "Gothic Rock Guide: 5 Notable Goth Rock Musicians". MasterClass. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  2. ^ Terich, Jeff (28 November 2018). "The 30 Best Noise-Rock Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  3. ^ Smithers, Aaron (2008). Old Roots, New Routes: The Cultural Politics of Alt.country Music. University of Michigan. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-472-05053-6. ...the seminal Australian art-punk band Birthday Party
  4. ^ Lipez, Zachary (6 February 2022). "The Birthday Party: Junkyard Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b Thomas, Stephen. "The Birthday Party". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  6. ^ a b Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. London: Faber and Faber, 2005. pp. 429–431. ISBN 0-571-21569-6.
  7. ^ "The Quietus | 30 Years On: We Return To The Birthday Party's Junkyard". The Quietus.