Budgie (musician) - Career

Career

He debuted as a drummer with The Spitfire Boys and Big in Japan before playing with The Slits on the 1979's 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 became shortly after a permanent member of the band until they split up in 1996. He released nine studio albums with the Banshees.

In 1981, he also formed a second act with Siouxsie Sioux named The Creatures: their music was more based around drums, including percussion, marimba and vibraphone. Budgie married Siouxsie several years later, 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 last 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 made collaborations. In 1992, he worked with Indigo Girls 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: Budgie played each night two sets, one with Cale and one with The Creatures. It was a double-bill tour.

In 2009, Budgie toured in 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 pictured by "drumming extravaganza, featuring Western kit, Japanese taiko and African drums, that will launch the musicians into a new sonic galaxy!". In the programme are improvised solos and ensemble works as well as new pieces and arrangements specially created for the New Vision Arts Festival, inspired by the pace, rhythm and character of Hong Kong. The World première took place in Hong Kong in November as part of New Vision Festival.

In 2012, Budgie became the drummer of Efterklang for their worldwide tour. They will be accompagned by an orchestra. The premiere at the Opera House in Sydney was praised by Time Out. A European tour plus a date in New York has been confirmed for this autumn.