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Baxter Dury

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Baxter Dury
Dury at the Fuji Rock Festival in 2006
Dury at the Fuji Rock Festival in 2006
Background information
Born (1971-12-18) 18 December 1971 (age 53)
OriginWingrave, Buckinghamshire, England
Genres
OccupationVocalist
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active2001–present
LabelsRough Trade Records, Parlophone, PIAS, Heavenly Recordings

Baxter Dury (born 18 December 1971) is an English indie musician, originally signed to Rough Trade Records.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Baxter Dury is the son of Ian Dury and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" Rathmell.[1] As a young boy he appeared on the front cover of Dury's album New Boots and Panties!![2] He left school at the age of fourteen.[2]

The Ian Dury biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010) features Bill Milner as Baxter.[3]

Career

[edit]

In 2002 Dury's Oscar Brown EP was "Record of the Week" in NME.[1]

In 2014 he signed a new recording contract with PIAS subsidiary Le Label and released a new album It's a Pleasure.[4]

In August 2017, Dury signed to independent record label Heavenly Recordings. The signing was celebrated with a special Fred Perry curated show at London venue the 100 Club, with support from label mates The Orielles.[5] The same month, Dury previewed the release of his fifth studio album Prince of Tears with the release of the single "Miami" alongside a video produced by Roger Sargent.[6] The track was later remixed by Jarvis Cocker and Parrot.[7]

The second single, title track "Prince of Tears", was released in October 2017, also with a video by Roger Sargent.[8] The video depicts Dury being "beaten to a pulp"[9] in a boxing ring. Sargent is quoted as saying: “Baxter trained for 2 weeks to prepare for the video...Though some trickery is involved, 80 percent of the punches are real – and hurt! We wanted that realism to be the spine of the shoot, so that Baxter's acting would be all the more real. It still gets me emotionally every time I watch!”[10]

Co-produced by Dury & Ash Workman and mixed by longstanding collaborator Craig Silvey, the album Prince of Tears was released in October 2017. It featured guest appearances from Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods (on the track "Almond Milk") and Rose Elinor Dougall (on "Porcelain"), as well as long-term collaborator Madelaine Hart providing backing vocals across numerous tracks. The album received wide acclaim, and was a Sunday Times Album of the Week,[11] Guardian Album of the Week[12] and Rough Trade Shops #20 Album of the Year.[13] Writing in The Guardian, Alexis Petridis commented that "Everything on Prince of Tears is a little sharper, a little more pointed than on Dury’s previous works."[14] Mojo Magazine described it as "a career best album".[15] The final single from the album was "Listen", and also featured a video directed by Roger Sargent.[16]

Dury headlined London’s KOKO on 29 November 2017[17] and went on to support Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in April and May 2018 in the UK & Ireland.[18][19] A UK headline tour in the autumn culminated in a sold out show at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire.[20]

On 10th October 2018 Heavenly Recordings announced a new collaboration from Baxter Dury, French dance music pioneer Etienne De Crécy and Delilah Holliday titled B.E.D.[21] The self-titled album was produced by Etienne De Crécy & Baxter Dury in France. The 9-track album was released on 26th October 2018 and the lead single was "White Coats", released on 10th October.[22]

In March 2019 Dury appeared on the Fat White Family single "Tastes Good With The Money", also appearing in the video.[23] Dury performed live with the band at Glastonbury Festival during their televised set on The Park Stage in June 2019.[24]

On 19th November 2019 Dury announced his sixth studio album The Night Chancers alongside the video and single "Slumlord".[25] The Night Chancers was co-produced by Dury and long-time collaborator Craig Silvey, and was recorded at Hoxa Studios West Hampstead in May 2019.[25] On 2nd March 2020, second single "I’m Not Your Dog" was released alongside a video directed by Tom Haines and produced by Agile Films.[26] The Night Chancers was released on 20th March 2020 to critical acclaim, including in the Guardian,[27] The Quietus,[28] Record Collector[29] and The Line of Best Fit.[30]

In August 2021 Dury combined with producer Fred Again for the single "Baxter (These Are My Friends)".[31] The same month, his memoir, Chaise Longue, described as "a candid portrayal of teenage life from the heart of rock 'n' roll Bohemia",[32] was published by Little, Brown.[33] Chaise Longue was an Uncut Book of the Year 2021, and featured in the Evening Standard's Best Non-fiction 2021 list, as well as The Times's Books of the Year 2021, and Rough Trade Shops #2 Book of the Year, 2021, and was favourably reviewed in the Guardian[34] and the Times.

Dury released the single ‘D.O.A’ on 10th October 2021, and announced the compilation Mr Maserati 2001 to 2021 - Celebrating 20 years of Baxter Dury, which was released on 3rd December 2021.[35]

On 2nd December 2022 Dury performed as part of a Concert Celebrating Sir Peter Blake’s 90th Year at the Royal Albert Hall in London, alongside Madness, The Who, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller and Chrissie Hynde.[36]

On 7th March 2023 Dury announced his seventh studio album I Thought I Was Better Than You alongside the single ‘‘Aylesbury Boy", featuring JGrrey. The video was produced by Noel Paul.[37] I Thought I Was Better Than You was produced by Paul White, celebrated for his work as one half of the duo Golden Rules and with the likes of Charli XCX and Danny Brown. The album featured guest vocals from singer-songwriters Eska and JGrrey, in addition to Dury’s regular vocalist Madelaine Hart. Ahead of the album, singles "Leon" and "Celebrate Me" were released. The video for ‘Celebrate Me’ was also produced by Noel Paul.[38] I Thought I Was Better You was released on 2nd June 2023. The record received favourable reviews,[39][40] and featured at #7 in Rough Trade Shops' Albums of the Year list.[41]

In the summer of 2023 Dury supported Pulp on their UK reunion shows at Finsbury Park,[42] Castlefield Bowl and Cardiff International Arena. He toured Europe and the UK including, including a sold out show at the Roundhouse, Camden on 18th October 2023.[43]

Tracks from I Thought I Was Better Than You were remixed by Maximum Security, AKA Austin Brown of Parquet Courts, and released as special edition 12” for Rough Trade Shops in December 2023.

Dury performed a televised set at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 28th June 2024.[44] Dury also played multiple EU festivals including Best Kept Secret, Rock En Seine[45] and OFF Festival. He supported Future Islands at Crystal Palace in August 2023[46] and performed a main stage set at End Of The Road Festival.

Following a UK and Irish tour supporting Primal Scream,[47] Dury announced his tenth studio album Allbarone, produced by Paul Epworth, on 6th May 2025, with a lead single of the same name.[48] Allbarone is due for release on Heavenly Recordings on 12th September 2025, alongside an extensive UK and EU headline tour.

Personal life

[edit]

He has one son, Kosmo Korda Dury (born 2002), whose mother is the granddaughter of Zoltan Korda.[2]

Discography

[edit]
Baxter Dury discography
Studio albums8
EPs1
Compilation albums1
Singles18

The discography of Baxter Dury consists of seven studio albums, one collaboration album, one compilation album, one extended play and eighteen singles.

Studio albums

[edit]
Year Album Peak positions Certification
UK
[49]
BEL
(Fl)

[50]
BEL
(Wa)

FRA
[51]
2002 Len Parrot's Memorial Lift[52]
2005 Floor Show[53]
  • Label: Rough Trade
167
2011 Happy Soup[54] 110[55] 100 89
2014 It's a Pleasure[56] 163 59 42
2017 Prince of Tears[57] 49 193 144 46
2018 B.E.D. (with Étienne de Crécy and Delilah Holliday)[58][59][60]
  • Label: PIAS Le Label, Heavenly
108 153
2020 The Night Chancers[61]
  • Label: PIAS Le Label, Heavenly
73 122 87
2023 I Thought I Was Better Than You
  • Label: PIAS Le Label, Heavenly Recordings
41 200
[62]
2025 Allbarone (upcoming)[48]
  • Label: Heavenly Recordings

Compilation albums

[edit]
  • Mr. Maserati (Best Of Baxter Dury 2001 - 2021) (2021, PIAS Le Label, Heavenly)

Singles and EPs

[edit]
  • Oscar Brown EP (2001)
  • "Gingham Smalls 2" / "Lucifer's Grain" (2002)
  • "Love in the Garden" (2006)
  • "Claire" (2011)[63]
  • "Pleasure" (2014)
  • "Palm Trees" (2014)
  • "Miami" (2017)
  • "Prince of Tears" (2017)
  • "White Coats" (2018) (with Étienne de Crécy and Delilah Holliday)
  • "How Do You Make Me Feel?" (2018) (with Étienne de Crécy and Delilah Holliday)
  • "Slumlord" (2019)
  • "Carla's Got A Boyfriend" (2019)
  • "I'm Not Your Dog" (2020)
  • "Say Nothing" (Remixes) (2020)
  • "D.O.A" (2021)
  • "Aylesbury Boy" (2023)
  • "Leon" (2023)
  • "Celebrate Me" (2023)
  • "Allbarone" (2025)

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award Ceremony Year Work Category Result
Berlin Music Video Awards 2023 Aylesbury Boy Best Low Budget Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Rough Trade Records". Roughtraderecords. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Baxter Dury, son of Ian, talks to David Peschek". The Guardian. 12 August 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  3. ^ Dury, Baxter (15 January 2010). "Baxter Dury: 'My dad was lovely, bubbly ... and annoying'". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  4. ^ Brooklyn Vegan "Baxter Dury readies 'It's A Pleasure'", Brooklyn Vegan, 30 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Baxter Dury signs to Heavenly Recordings for new record". Heavenly Recordings. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Baxter Dury announces his new record 'Prince Of Tears' with the single 'Miami'". heavenlyrecordings.com. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  7. ^ Pearis, Bill. "Jarvis Cocker remixes Baxter Dury's "Miami" (listen)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  8. ^ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Murray, Robin (29 August 2017). "Baxter Dury Announces New Album 'Prince Of Tears'". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 6 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Baxter Dury gets in the ring for "Prince of Tears" video". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Baxter Dury gets in the ring for "Prince of Tears" video". Brooklyn Vegan.
  11. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (26 October 2017). "Pop review: Baxter Dury: Prince of Tears". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  12. ^ Petridis, Alexis (26 October 2017). "Baxter Dury: Prince of Tears review – making a success of the family business". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Rough Trade's Albums of the Year 2017". Album of The Year. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  14. ^ Petridis, Alexis (26 October 2017). "Baxter Dury: Prince of Tears review – making a success of the family business". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Baxter Dury releases the title track of his record 'Prince of Tears'". heavenlyrecordings.com. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  16. ^ "BAXTER DURY Shares 'Listen' Video, Announces New Tour Dates". www.xsnoize.com. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  17. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (1 November 2017). "Pop review: Baxter Dury at Koko, NW1". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  18. ^ "May 07, 2018: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds / Baxter Dury at First Direct Arena Leeds, England, United Kingdom | Concert Archives". www.concertarchives.org. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Noel Gallagher & The High Flying Birds – Brighton concert review". Brighton and Hove News. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  20. ^ Door, Black (28 March 2018). "Baxter Dury Tour News and Jarvis Cocker Remix Release". Black Door Agency. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  21. ^ Allen, Jeremy (1 November 2018). "Baxter Dury Has a Lot to Say, in Person and on a New Album". VICE. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  22. ^ Roberts, Christopher. "B.E.D (Featuring Baxter Dury) Announce Debut Album, Share New Song "White Coats"". Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! – Baxter Dury". NME. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  24. ^ "Glastonbury 2024 - Fat White Family". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  25. ^ a b Richards, Sam (19 November 2019). "Baxter Dury announces new album, The Night Chancers". UNCUT. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Baxter Dury shares cinematic 'I'm Not Your Dog' video". DIY. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  27. ^ Hann, Michael (20 March 2020). "Baxter Dury: The Night Chancers review – a grubbily compelling reality". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  28. ^ Quietus, The (23 March 2020). "Baxter Dury — The Night Chancers". The Quietus. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  29. ^ "The Night Chancers - Record Collector Magazine". Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  30. ^ "Baxter Dury's The Night Chancers is a nuanced and elegant exploration of the perils of romance". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  31. ^ Taysom, Joe (9 August 2021). "Baxter Dury teams up with Fred Again on new single". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  32. ^ "'CHAISE LONGUE' by Baxter Dury – His memoir published this summer". heavenlyrecordings.com. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Chaise Longue by Baxter Dury review – teenage kicks with the Blockheads". The Guardian. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  34. ^ Spencer, Neil (1 August 2021). "Chaise Longue by Baxter Dury review – teenage kicks with the Blockheads". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  35. ^ "Baxter Dury announces Mr Maserati 2001 to 2021 album with new song "D.O.A"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  36. ^ Richards, Will (17 October 2022). "Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher, Madness and more to play Peter Blake's 90th birthday gig". NME. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  37. ^ "Baxter Dury announces new album 'I Thought I Was Better Than You'". DIY. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  38. ^ "Baxter Dury unveils new single "Celebrate Me"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  39. ^ Taylor, Tom (31 May 2023). "Baxter Dury - 'I Thought I Was Better Than You' album review". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  40. ^ "Baxter Dury - I Thought I Was Better Than You". DIY. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  41. ^ "Albums of the Year 2023 | Rough Trade UK". Rough Trade Blog. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  42. ^ Trendell, Andrew (28 June 2023). "Here are the stage times and support acts for Pulp at Finsbury Park". NME. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  43. ^ "Baxter Dury at The Roundhouse review | A magnetic, eclectic crowd-pleaser whynow". whynow. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  44. ^ BBC Music (30 June 2024). Baxter Dury - Celebrate me (Glastonbury 2024). Retrieved 6 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  45. ^ jeff livemusic (3 September 2024). Baxter Dury - Prince of Tears (Live) Paris, Rock en Seine 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  46. ^ "Future Islands share news of upcoming LP 'People Who Aren't There Anymore'". DIY. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  47. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (28 November 2024). "Primal Scream announce support acts for 2025 UK 'Come Ahead' tour". NME. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  48. ^ a b Trendell, Andrew (6 May 2025). "Baxter Dury tells us about teaming up with Paul Epworth for 'Allbarone': "I was born into chaos, he framed that"". NME. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  49. ^ "Baxter Dury | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  50. ^ "Discography Baxter Dury". Ultratop. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  51. ^ "Baxter Dury discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  52. ^ "Baxter Dury: Len Parrott's Memorial Lift". The Guardian. 19 July 2002. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  53. ^ "CD: Baxter Dury, Floorshow". The Guardian. 19 August 2005. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  54. ^ "Album Review: Baxter Dury - 'Happy Soup'". NME. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  55. ^ "UK Chart Log" (TXT). Zobbel.de. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  56. ^ "Baxter Dury - 'It's A Pleasure'". NME. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  57. ^ "Baxter Dury – 'Prince Of Tears' Album Review". NME. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  58. ^ Subscribe (26 October 2018). "B.E.D - B.E.D". diymag.com. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  59. ^ "Baxter Dury Has a Lot to Say, in Person and on a New Album". Vice.com. November 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  60. ^ Carty, Pat. "Album Review: Baxter Dury/Étienne de Crécy/Delilah Holliday, B.E.D." Hotpress. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  61. ^ "Baxter Dury: The Night Chancers review – downbeat charisma, immaculately delivered". The Guardian. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  62. ^ "Top Albums (Week 23, 2023)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  63. ^ "Baxter Dury unveils first single from new album 'Happy Soup' - audio". NME. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
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