"Some kind of surf-guitar gone to Hell."

2011-10-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

With the release of the Ghost Pictures documentary Autoluminescent it looks as though one of the most under-appreciated and influential musicians of the post-punk generation is finally getting some recognition. I was introduced to The Birthday Party by a friend who laughed them off as 'just excessively violent noise', and it wasn't until I heard Rowland S. Howard's screaming introduction to The Friend Catcher that I realised there was something incredible about The Birthday Party. Their sound rivaled that of The Stooges at their best and possessed a scathing, brutal literary wit that was a little too dangerous for goth audiences and a little too artsy for the punks. Besides Nick Cave's manic poetry what really stood out was Rowland S. Howard's guitar playing, though to call it that seems to marginalise just how innovative and unique it was, his influence is absolutely out of proportion to his recognition.

After I fell in love with The Birthday Party I wanted to hear absolutely everything Rowland S. Howard had contributed too: his work with Lydia Lunch; Nikki Sudden; These Immortal Souls; Crime & the City Solution... none of it was disappointing, but perhaps what stunned me most was a little-known two song collaboration between Rowland, Lydia Lunch and industrial-giants Einstürzende Neubauten, Thirsty Animal, which for me it really highlights the avant-garde side of his playing.

His two solo albums showcase his voice and poetry amazingly, I remember playing his final album Pop Crimes to a good friend of mine and as soon as the first chorus of Shut Me Down played she looked at me and said '...fuck Keats'. Pop Crimes was hurriedly recorded due to Rowland's declining health, and I would be shocked to find an album with more dignity than this; shortly after recording he passed away from liver cancer (aged 50), but it breathes with his character, sadness, humour, integrity and uncompromising style. I'm always hesitant to use words like 'genius', but Rowland S. Howard makes this increasingly more difficult for me the more I hear of his output and contribution to music.

Recommended songs (linked):

The Friend Catcher (The Birthday Party)

Deep in the Woods (The Birthday Party live)

Thirsty Animal (Einsturzende Neubauten)

Lost in Space (w/ J.P. Shilo)

Autoluminescent trailer:

Great Expectorations

"Some kind of surf-guitar gone to Hell."