The Birthday Party | Artist
The Birthday Party was an Australian post-punk band formed 1978 in Melbourne by Nick Cave (vocals, saxophone), Rowland S Howard (guitar, vocals), Mick Harvey (guitar, keyboards), Tracy Pew (bass) and Phill Calvert (drums). Cave, Harvey and Calvert had originally met at the prestigious Caulfield Grammar School, and formed the band The Boys Next Door. Rowland S Howard joined in '78 and his characteristic feedback drenched guitar style reshaped the group's sound which drew upon punk, rockabilly and blues influences. The album Door Door, credited to The Boys Next Door, was released in '79 and was unremarkable except for the excellent track "Shivers" penned by Howard. The Birthday Party album was initially credited to The Boys Next Door but reissued as The Birthday Party when the band relocated from Melbourne to London in 1980, where they were championed by influential radio DJ John Peel. It was their next two classic albums, Prayers on Fire ('81) and Junkyard ('82) where the band reached their potential, in particular Cave who is heard in full voice. 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. 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." The band split in 1983 with Cave and Harvey forming Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and Rowland S Howard working solo and collaborating with Lydia Lunch. Their final show was at the Crystal Ballroom in Melbourne's (then) sleazy St Kilda district on 9 June 1983. They disbanded soon after, due in part to disagreements between Cave and Howard, as well as work and drug-related exhaustion. Outstanding Birthday Party Albums include the three studio albums, the live albums It's Still Living (1985) and Live 1981-82 (1999), the EPs The Bad Seed (1983), The Birthday Party (1983) and Mutiny! (1983), and the compilations Hee-Haw ('88) and Hits (1992). Perhaps their best album is their finale Junkyard which the following review excerpt captures nicely "What do you get when you hear this album? You get menacing stompers like She's Hit, Junkyard, Big Jesus Trash Can, and Kewpie Doll, you get sinister jazz-in-a-haunted house like Dim Locator, and Several Sins, you get offensive wall of noise freakouts like Dead Joe and Hamlet, and most importantly, you get 6 Inch Gold Blade: a disturbing tale of cheating, revenge, and murder told over a bluesy beat with guitars slicing in and out like knives". The band took its new name from a non-existent birthday party scene in the Dostoyevsky novel Crime and Punishment.
Artist Website: thebirthdayparty.com
Featured Albums: The Birthday Party
Related Artists: Rowland S Howard, Nick Cave, The Boys Next Door, Crime & The City Solution, Mick Harvey, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Anita Lane
