Brendan Perry
| Brendan Perry | |
|---|---|
Brendan Perry on stage in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brendan Perry |
| Born |
30 June 1959 Whitechapel, London |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, hurdy-gurdy, percussion, bouzouki, mandolin, low whistle, hammered dulcimer |
| Associated acts | Dead Can Dance, The Scavengers, The Marching Girls, Robin Guthrie |
| Website | Brendan-Perry.com |
Brendan Michael Perry (born 30 June 1959 in Whitechapel, London) is a singer and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work as the male half of the duo Dead Can Dance with Lisa Gerrard.
Perry was born in Whitechapel, London, England, UK, in 1959 to Anglo-Irish parents (mother from Cavan, Ireland and father from London, England) and subsequently raised and schooled in the East End of London, until his family emigrated to Auckland, New Zealand. Having received no formal musical education, Perry began to play the guitar at St Paul's College, the Catholic school he attended in Ponsonby. After failing to become a primary school teacher and to join the civil service, Perry worked at a series of jobs until joining the Scavengers in 1977. At first Perry played bass guitar, later taking on the duties of lead vocalist when the original singer left the band. Apart from a handful of original songs, the band covered music from the Stooges, New York Dolls, and late-'60s psychedelia. After two years, having failed to secure a recording deal or live dates, the band moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1979 and changed its name to the Marching Girls. In 1980, Perry left the Marching Girls to pursue a solo career, experimenting with tape loops, synthesis, and alternative forms of rhythm. In 1981, Perry formed Dead Can Dance with Simon Monroe and Paul Erikson (both of whom were to leave soon after they had relocated to London), and Lisa Gerrard.
Though now primarily known for his quiet introspective work with Dead Can Dance, Perry's first musical forays were in a markedly different style. In 1977, Perry was a leading member of New Zealand punk rock band the Scavengers, working under the pseudonym of Ronnie Recent. Perry started as the band's bass player, becoming lead vocalist after a lineup change in 1978. In 1979, the band moved to Melbourne and changed its name to the Marching Girls. Perry left the band in 1980. Perry's work with these two bands can be found on the compilation album AK79 and on a compilation of Scavengers singles that was recently released on CD. The Scavengers are regarded as New Zealand's equivalent of the Buzzcocks, with the Perry co-penned song "Mysterex" regarded as one of the country's best and most distinctive punk-rock singles. The Marching Girls also reached the New Zealand singles charts in 1980 with "True Love."
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