Tracy Pew
Encyclopedia
Tracy Pew was an Australia
n musician, best known as the bass player for The Birthday Party
.
Born in Australia, Pew moved with his family to New Zealand
in 1959, returning in May 1964. Pew attended Caulfield Grammar School
in Melbourne, where he joined a band called The Boys Next Door, along with schoolfriends Nick Cave
, Mick Harvey
and Phill Calvert
. After achieving some success in Australia, and with the addition of guitarist Rowland S. Howard
, the band relocated to London
and renamed themselves The Birthday Party.
On 16 February 1982, Pew was apprehended in a Melbourne hotel car park, and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. The owner of the car, his friend, was too drunk to drive. For this and a series of other accumulated fines and offences, he was sentenced to ten weeks in HM Prison Won Wron
, a minimum security prison farm near Yarram
. During Pew's stretch at Won Wron, he was temporarily replaced in the band by Chris Walsh (of The Moodists
) for the band's subsequent Melbourne shows, and Barry Adamson
(of Magazine
) and Harry Howard (Rowland S. Howard's brother) for their UK shows. Pew returned to the band after his release with a gig in Hammersmith
on 26 May 1982.
The Birthday Party split in 1983, although Pew briefly played bass for Nick Cave – Man or Myth?, the band that was to become Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
on a live tour. Pew returned to Melbourne to study literature and philosophy at Monash University
. In 1984, Chris Bailey asked him to be part of a touring line-up for seminal Australian punk band The Saints
consisting of himself, Chris Burnham and Ian Shedden. Ed Kuepper
agreed to tour with the band, replacing Pew on bass, but left after several weeks due to conflicts. Pew contributed to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
' cover LP Kicking Against the Pricks
, and also performed on Lydia Lunch
's concept album Honeymoon In Red
.
Pew was prone to epileptic
seizures, at times exacerbated by heavy drug use, although he had cleaned up considerably by the mid-1980s. However, in 1986, he experienced a fit while lying in his bathtub, resulting in head injuries so severe he died from a brain hemorrhage shortly afterwards.
(best known for Kath & Kim
), during an appearance on the musical quiz show Spicks and Specks, mentioned that she had dated Pew in 1976.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n musician, best known as the bass player for The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
.
Born in Australia, Pew moved with his family to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1959, returning in May 1964. Pew attended Caulfield Grammar School
Caulfield Grammar School
Caulfield Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, Anglican, day and boarding school, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1881 as a boys' school, Caulfield began admitting girls exactly one hundred years later...
in Melbourne, where he joined a band called The Boys Next Door, along with schoolfriends Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, Mick Harvey
Mick Harvey
Michael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
and Phill Calvert
Phill Calvert
Phill Calvert is an Australian rock drummer and producer best known for his playing in the influential post-punk band The Birthday Party with Nick Cave. His playing with the Birthday Party was noted for its use of tom-toms...
. After achieving some success in Australia, and with the addition of guitarist Rowland S. Howard
Rowland S. Howard
Rowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk group The Birthday Party. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years....
, the band relocated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and renamed themselves The Birthday Party.
On 16 February 1982, Pew was apprehended in a Melbourne hotel car park, and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. The owner of the car, his friend, was too drunk to drive. For this and a series of other accumulated fines and offences, he was sentenced to ten weeks in HM Prison Won Wron
HM Prison Won Wron
HM Prison Won Wron was a minimum security Australian prison located in Won Wron, Victoria. It was closed in late 2004, and the subsequent proposal to set up an Indigenous rehabilitation facility on the site was opposed by the local community of Yarram....
, a minimum security prison farm near Yarram
Yarram, Victoria
Yarram , is an isolated town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Wellington, located in the southeast of Gippsland. The term 'Yarraam Yarraam' is thought to be an aboriginal phrase meaning 'plenty of water,' however it is not known which language group the name is taken from...
. During Pew's stretch at Won Wron, he was temporarily replaced in the band by Chris Walsh (of The Moodists
The Moodists
The Moodists were an Australian post-punk band that formed in 1980, when Dave Graney, Clare Moore and Steve Miller of punk group The Sputniks moved from Adelaide to Melbourne. They added bass player Chris Walsh and later added guitarist Mick Turner....
) for the band's subsequent Melbourne shows, and Barry Adamson
Barry Adamson
Barry Adamson is a British rock musician who has worked with rock bands such as Magazine, Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electronic musicians Pan sonic and Depeche Mode. Adamson created the seven-minute opus "Useless " remix for the latter band in 1997...
(of Magazine
Magazine (band)
Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time...
) and Harry Howard (Rowland S. Howard's brother) for their UK shows. Pew returned to the band after his release with a gig in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
on 26 May 1982.
The Birthday Party split in 1983, although Pew briefly played bass for Nick Cave – Man or Myth?, the band that was to become Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
on a live tour. Pew returned to Melbourne to study literature and philosophy at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
. In 1984, Chris Bailey asked him to be part of a touring line-up for seminal Australian punk band The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
consisting of himself, Chris Burnham and Ian Shedden. Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the seminal punk band The Saints, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and later the grunge-like The Aints...
agreed to tour with the band, replacing Pew on bass, but left after several weeks due to conflicts. Pew contributed to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
' cover LP Kicking Against the Pricks
Kicking Against the Pricks
Kicking Against the Pricks is the third album released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. First released in 1986, the album is a collection of cover versions...
, and also performed on Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
's concept album Honeymoon In Red
Honeymoon In Red
Honeymoon In Red is a concept album released in 1987 as a Lydia Lunch album. Honeymoon In Red is sometimes referred to as a band or alternately as a collaboration between Lydia Lunch and The Birthday Party.-Music:...
.
Pew was prone to epileptic
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
seizures, at times exacerbated by heavy drug use, although he had cleaned up considerably by the mid-1980s. However, in 1986, he experienced a fit while lying in his bathtub, resulting in head injuries so severe he died from a brain hemorrhage shortly afterwards.
Personal life
Comedian Gina RileyGina Riley
Gina Riley is an Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian.Riley became a popular television performer in the sketch shows Fast Forward, its successor Full Frontal, Big Girl's Blouse and Something Stupid. In the latter she was also a producer and writer...
(best known for Kath & Kim
Kath & Kim
Kath & Kim is a Logie Award-winning character-driven Australian television situation comedy series. The series was created by, and is written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley who play the title characters: a suburban mother and daughter with a dysfunctional relationship...
), during an appearance on the musical quiz show Spicks and Specks, mentioned that she had dated Pew in 1976.