The Birthday Party

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Biography

Melbourne, Australia (1977 – 1983)

The Birthday Party were an Australian band, from 1977 to 1983. Formed in Melbourne, the band were one of the darkest and most challenging groups to emerge in the early ’80s, creating bleak and noisy soundscapes that provided the perfect setting for vocalist Nick Cave’s difficult, disturbing stories of religion, violence, and perversity. Their sound drew upon , , and the rawest , but transcended concise categorization. Under the direction of Cave and guitarist Rowland S. Howard, the band tore through reams of blues and rockabilly licks, spitting out hellacious feedback and noise at an unrelenting pace. As The Birthday Party’s career progressed, Cave’s vision got darker and the band’s songs alternated between dirges and blistering sonic assaults.

Originally, the Australian band was called The Boys Next Door, comprising Cave, Howard, Mick Harvey (guitar, drums, organ, piano), bassist Tracy Pew, and drummer Phill Calvert. After the Door Door album and Hee Haw EP under that name, the band moved to London and switched its name to the deceptively benign Birthday Party. Once they arrived in Britain, their demented, knotty post-punk began to gel. They released their first international album, Prayers On Fire, in 1981, earning critical praise in the U.K. and U.S. While the band was preparing to record the follow-up, Pew was jailed for drunk driving; former Magazine member Barry Adamson, Harry Howard, and Chris Walsh filled in for the absent Pew on 1982’s Junkyard.
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  • Arnar_Valgeir

    it's impossible to be cooler than these guys were

    19 May 9:07am Reply

  • Nimbie

    choo choo choo, it's a prison of sound

    11 May 6:17pm Reply

  • Skygazer1

    Amazed at how the Birthday Party's sound has aged so well. A lot of their music sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday.

    7 May 6:46am Reply

  • RocketV

    Prayers on Fire <3

    23 Apr 9:09am Reply

  • pinkert0n

    it's only 12000 miles to heaven

    12 Apr 5:39am Reply

  • NiteThief

    http://soundcloud.com/smalldeath/junkyard

    3 Apr 5:42pm Reply

  • Paynomindtous

    love is for fools, and Lord knows I'm still one [2]

    18 Mar 2:01pm Reply

  • Nimbie

    love is for fools, and Lord knows I'm still one

    17 Mar 12:43pm Reply

  • thiego23k

    MUTINY IN HEAVEN!!

    15 Mar 2:28am Reply

  • crownanchor

    Australia's own.....

    15 Feb 7:01pm Reply

  • marziaa

    14 novembre 1981 Aleph club, Gabicce, Italia: live Birthday Party concerto fantasticooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

    15 Feb 11:06am Reply

  • Horse_Deceased

    Stop voting up pics without Tracy.

    10 Feb 10:28am Reply

  • Nimbie

    what a boring shoutbox

    19 Jan 4:21pm Reply

  • Almond_Shine

    WELL HE'S A FAT LITTLE INSECT-UH A FAT LITTLE INSECT-UH A FAT LITTLE INSECT-UH A FAT LITTLE INSECT I'm so fucking proud of this comment.

    19 Jan 6:33am Reply

  • Sergoy

    Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow...

    28 Dec 2012 Reply

  • Pragmatastique

    I think you meant to say, wasted maniacs.

    23 Dec 2012 Reply

  • kingratface

    classy motherfuckers

    13 Dec 2012 Reply

  • Nimbie

    Junkyard = The Bad Seed > Prayers on Fire = Mutiny! > s/t

    16 Nov 2012 Reply

  • p0wer_v1olence

    Love all their output, but Hee Haw is still my favorite.

    10 Nov 2012 Reply

  • etherealmoment

    bouncing, sweating, shivering, sleazy, acidic, gun-toting, menacing psychotic hysterical apocalytpic pulpit of boundless ecstatic blood sweat sex death desire melting and folding back inward on itself in the shape of a cartoon demon grin under the weight of 10000 sickening suns. gorge yourself on this depravity. you will come back wanting more. perfect sound and lyrics. sadly overlooked phenom, this birthday party. one of a kind.

    2 Nov 2012 Reply
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