Budgie (musician)
| Budgie | |
|---|---|
 Budgie in Oakland, California - June 1986 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Edward Clarke |
| Also known as | Blister, Budgie |
| Born | 21 August 1957 |
| Origin | St Helens, Merseyside, England |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Percussion, drums, guitars, keyboards |
| Labels | Geffen, Polydor, Sioux |
| Associated acts | Big in Japan, The Spitfire Boys, The Slits, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Creatures |
| Website | Budgie on Myspace |
Peter Edward Clarke, (born 21 August 1957, in St Helens, Merseyside), better known as Budgie, is an English drummer. He was the drummer of the influential band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1979–1996) and its side-project The Creatures (1981–2004).
In 2013, Spin rated him at number 28 in their list of "The 100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music".[1] Spin wrote: "Post-punk introduced a lot of amazing drummers, but none more influential than Budgie. With the Banshees, Budgie didn't just play rhythms — he played hooks and leads, brilliant parts that set the songs on fire. His tom-tom-intensive approach, [was] enlightened by his awareness of world music".[1] Spin considers that his "most booming moment" is on "Into the Light," from 1981's Juju: "Budgie drums up a marvel of kinetic syncopation and invention".[1]
Budgie has been hailed in 2013 by his peer Stewart Copeland of The Police as one of the 16 most interesting drummers. Copeland stated: "One side of this first greatest hits album Once Upon a Time: The Singles is all him. You know that kind of new wave quasi-punk but sort of fashion-punk era? Siouxsie was all about that, but Budgie made it really powerful." Copeland described Budgie's playing as "very economical and offbeat, too. Budgie didn’t play your standard hi-hat-kick-snare; there were a lot of tom-toms and a big throb."[2]
Early life
Budgie spent his childhood in Liverpool. He later became an art student but when a new scene emerged in 1976, he gave up school to become a musician.
Career
He debuted as a drummer with The Spitfire Boys and Big in Japan before playing with The Slits on the 1979 album Cut.
In September 1979, he joined Siouxsie and the Banshees on their Join Hands tour. Initially he was intended to be a temporary replacement for Kenny Morris, who had left the band two days into a tour, but he remained with the group. He first performed on the album Kaleidoscope, and shortly after, became a permanent member of the band until they split up in 1996.[3][4][5] He released nine studio albums with the Banshees.
In 1981, he also formed a second group with Siouxsie Sioux named The Creatures: their music was more based around drums, including percussion, marimba and vibraphone. Budgie married Siouxsie in 1991.
In 2003, Budgie first collaborated with Japanese taiko drummer Leonard Eto for the Creatures Hai! album.
After recording four studio albums as The Creatures, Budgie's final performance with Siouxsie featuring Eto and the Millenia Ensemble was filmed in 2004 at the Royal Festival Hall in London for the DVD Dreamshow.
In 2007, Siouxsie and Budgie publicly announced their divorce.
Outside the Banshees and the Creatures, the drummer also worked with Indigo Girls in 1992 on Rites of Passage, and briefly toured with them in the USA at the end of that year.
Budgie later played drums for former The Velvet Underground member John Cale during his summer 1998 US tour on a double bill with The Creatures. Budgie played two sets each night, one with Cale and one with The Creatures.
In 2009, Budgie toured Europe with Juno Reactor. Later that year, he also recorded drums for Jessie Evans's Is It Fire? album.
In 2010, Budgie teamed up with two other drummers, Leonard Eto and Mabi, plus multi-instrumentalist Knox Chandler and guitarist Sugizo, for a program called "The Butterfly Effect: East-West Percussive Parade." It was described as a "drumming extravaganza, featuring Western kit, Japanese taiko and African drums, that will launch the musicians into a new sonic galaxy!".[6] The program's world première took place in Hong Kong in November 2010 as part of the New Vision Arts Festival. "The Butterfly Effect" featured improvised solos and ensemble works as well as new pieces and arrangements specially created for the festival, inspired by the pace, rhythm and character of Hong Kong.[7]
In 2012, Budgie served as the drummer for Efterklang on their worldwide tour.[8] They were accompanied by an orchestra. The premiere at the Opera House in Sydney was praised by Time Out.[9] His last concert with Efterklang was in Brussels in November.[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Azerrad, Michael (21 May 2013). "The 100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music: N°28 Budgie of Siouxsie And The Banshees". Spin.com. Retrieved 21-1-2014.
- ↑ Bosso, Joe (June 24, 2013). "Stewart Copeland picks 16 fun drum albums". Retrieved 21-1-14.
- ↑ Ankeny, Jason. Siouxsie and the Banshees biography at Allmusic
- ↑ Rothman, Robert A. "Siouxsie Takes NYC Back in Time", Rolling Stone, 22 April 2002
- ↑ Budofsky, Adam. Budgie interview, Modern Drummer, September 1990
- ↑ The Butterfly Effect: East-West Percussive Parade newvisionfestival.gov.hk. Retrieved 6.09.2010
- ↑ Budgie - Butterfly Effect The Video. Live Excerpt. November 2010. Hong Kong. New Visions Festival
- ↑ Budgie of Siouxsie & The Banshees joins Efterklang for fall orchestral dates in Europe. slicingupeyeballs.com. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012
- ↑ Efterklang The Danes make an art-music splash with the SSO. Time Out. Retrieved 27 June 2012
- ↑ "We’re Looking for...". efterklang.net. Retrieved 27 August 2012
External links
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