MOG

I was doing a little browse on Mog the other day, and (knowing how many Nick Cave fans are out there) was a bit stunned to find no entry for The Birthday Party. So I'm doing a Neill and Filling in The Gaps for your edification.

The Birthday Party were originally called the Boys Next Door (formed in 1977) and after moderate success in Australia including hundreds of live shows they headed for London in 1980, changing their name to The Birthday Party and launching into a period of innovative and aggressive music-making. They resided in London, with trips back to Australia and tours through Europe and the U.S. before relocating to West Berlin in 1982. I reckon I saw them at least 20 or 30 times over this several year period.

Their sound drew upon punk, rockabilly, free jazz and the rawest blues, but transcended concise categorisation. Many songs were driven by prominent, and angry sounding repetitive basslines and drumwork. Though the band was tightly rehearsed, the instrumentalists often sounded as if they were on the verge of collapse, this quality only emphasising the newfound mania of Cave's singing, and his expressionist lyrics.

The Birthday Party - "Nick The Stripper"

Above the barely-controlled racket, Cave's vocals ranged from desperate to simply menacing and demented. Critics have written that "neither John Cale nor Alfred Hitchcock was ever this scary" and that Cave "doesn't so much sing his vocals as expel them from his gut". Though Cave drew on earlier rock and roll shriekers; especially Iggy Pop and Suicide's Alan Vega, his singing with The Birthday Party remains powerful and distinct.

When bass guitarist Tracey Pew was jailed for drunk driving and petty theft in 1982, Barry Adamson and several others replaced him on records or live appearances. In 1982 a spin-off group with Lydia Lunch, 'Honeymoon In Red', recorded an album which was eventually released in 1987.

In 1983 Blixa Bargeld from the German band Einsturzende Neubauten played guitar on some Birthday Party recordings, effectively replacing Rowland Howard, as tension between Cave and Howard came to a head. The Birthday Party disbanded in 1984, due in part to the split between Cave and Howard, and also to the copious quantities of drugs beng consumed. At one show I saw, Nick Cave was falling over constantly and almost incapable of performing as he was so out of it. That said, on another occasion, they produced the best gig I've ever seen.

The Birthday Party - "Junkyard" Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career. They've been called one of "the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s." Though often indirect, their influence has been far-reaching. Due in part to their legendary status and to the continuing success of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Birthday Party's back catalogue has been re-released on CD several times. In recent years Mick Harvey has overseen releases of rare or previously unissued recordings. The Birthday Party - "Release The Bats" (live at the Hacienda 1982) Thanks wiki. See also: http://www.thebirthdayparty.com.au/ for some interesting info on band members and discography/catalogue details.

Posted on 03/16/2007

Tags: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Post-Punk, Boys Next Door, New Wave, No Wave, Barry Adamson, Einsturzende Neubauten, Lydia Lunch