Died Pretty

One of Australia's most celebrated alternative rock bands of the 1980s and '90s, Died Pretty were capable of sounding moody and exuberant at once. Their sound was informed by the darker end of American psychedelia and proto-punk, citing the Velvet Underground and the Doors as key reference points, and the impassioned vocal style of Ron Peno marked him as one of the great Australian frontmen of the era. Despite their sometimes-gloomy outlook, the band was also capable of writing exciting, melodic tunes, and they created a unique sound on their 1986 debut LP, Free Dirt. With time, they added polish and sophistication on 1991's Doughboy Hollow that didn't blunt their emotional impact, and on later works like 1998's Using My Gills as a Roadmap, they continued to experiment, adding electronics to their arsenal. Died Pretty was co-founded by lead singer and frontman Ron Peno, who cut his musical teeth in the early days of the Australian punk scene. Excited by the new sounds, Peno joined a band, the Hellcats, who would gig at the Oxford Funhouse, a club in Sydney that was home base for Radio Birdman. Tired of playing covers with the Hellcats, Peno made his way to Brisbane, where he found a like-minded guitarist, Mick Medew. In 1979, Peno and Medew formed a band called the 31st, which would evolve into the Screaming Tribesmen, whose tough but hooky sound would earn them a potent following. However, Peno didn't last long in the Screaming Tribesmen; Peno was a fan of the End, a group from Brisbane who had relocated to Sydney, just like the Tribesmen, and when the End broke up in 1983, their guitarist, Brett Myers, was eager to start a new group. Myers had already been strategizing with keyboard player Frank Brunetti, who had worked with the band Super K, and the nascent duo became a trio with the addition of Peno on vocals. They brought in a rhythm section, bassist Jonathan Lickliter and drummer Colin Barwick (both of whom had been in the End), and after playing a handful of shows as Final Solution (named for the seminal Pere Ubu song), the group adopted a new handle, Died Pretty. Openly embracing the influence of the Velvet Underground, Suicide, the Doors, and Television, Died Pretty soon became the talk of the Australian underground music community, and they were signed by Citadel Records. Rob Younger of Radio Birdman produced their debut single, "Out of the Unknown" b/w "World Without," which was issued in 1984 and rose to the top of the Australian alternative charts. Shortly after the release of the single, Jonathan Lickliter left the band, and Mark Lock became Died Pretty's bassist; a year later, Colin Barwick also dropped out, and drummer Chris Welsh (formerly of the 31st) stepped into his place. With their new rhythm section, Died Pretty released a four-song EP, 1985's Next to Nothing, which became another success, staying on the Australian independent charts for nearly a year. Died Pretty's early releases were championed in the U.K. music press, and they signed with the What Goes On label for British distribution of their music; their first full-length album, Free Dirt, came out in August 1986. To promote Free Dirt, Died Pretty took up a busy touring schedule, playing Australia, Europe, and the United States; the band won a following in France and Italy, though a broken foot forced Chris Welsh to sit out two weeks of dates, with British drummer Andrew Edge (of the Thompson Twins) as his temporary replacement. In June 1988, Died Pretty's second LP, Lost, arrived; it was issued in Australia by Blue Mosque Records, an alternative offshoot of Festival Records, while Beggars Banquet distributed the album in the United States and the United Kingdom. It sold well in Australia and Italy and prompted another international tour. The album marked the end of Mark Lock's run in Died Pretty; he had grown tired of touring, and when they next hit the road, Steve Clark was their bassist. Frank Brunetti also parted ways with the band, and John Hoey, formerly of the New Christs, took over on keyboards. After a tour of the United States, Died Pretty made their way to Los Angeles, where they went to work on their third album. Produced by Jeff Eyrich, 1990's Every Brilliant Eye boasted a slicker, more accessible sound than their previous work, and was issued in the United States by RCA in association with Beggars Banquet. Little more than a year later, Doughboy Hollow appeared in stores; produced by Hugh Jones (whose credits included LPs with Echo and the Bunnymen, Modern English, and Bauhaus), it saw Died Pretty finally making the leap from Australia's Alternative charts to the mainstream listings, where it rose to the Top 20. Confirming their growing stardom at home, Died Pretty were one of the headline acts at 1992's Big Day Out Festival, the first incarnation of what would become one of the nation's most important musical events. Shortly after the completion of Doughboy Hollow, bassist Steve Clark left the group, to be replaced by Robert Warren. He made his recording debut with Died Pretty on 1993's Trace, the first album in a new international deal the act signed with Columbia Records. It would become their most successful album in Australia, though the band would later express dissatisfaction with the songs and production (by a returning Hugh Jones). Not long after completing work on Trace, Chris Welsh resigned from the band to take up a career in education; no fewer than three drummers – Murray Shepherd, Warwick Fraser, and Stuart Eadie – would work with Died Pretty before Welsh came back in late 1993. A stopgap EP, Days, was released in 1994, and R.E.M. tapped Died Pretty to be their opening act when their Monster tour hit Australia in 1995. Before Died Pretty could begin work on their sixth album, Welsh once again left the band, and when they began the sessions for 1996's Sold, Nick Kennedy was their timekeeper. He quit midway through the recording, and Shane Melder of Sidewinder was brought in to complete the project. Produced by Rob Younger and Wayne Connolly, Sold was a rougher, more edgy album than Died Pretty had made in years, and while it was popular with fans, sales were below Columbia's expectations, and they dropped them from their roster. Died Pretty signed a new record deal with Citadel, and they celebrated by recording a four song EP, 1996's Deeper, that included a guest appearance from Hoodoo Gurus guitarist Brad Shepherd, who had been a short-time member of the 31st with Ron Peno years before. Simon Cox played drums on the release, and he was back for 1998's Using My Gills as a Roadmap, which incorporated electronic accents into the mix. It was followed in 2000 by Everydaydream, but a year later, bassist Robert Warren resigned from Died Pretty, citing an increasingly severe hearing problem. While Ron Peno and Brett Myers began blocking out plans for a ninth studio album, the former had relocated to Melbourne, and with Myers still in Sydney, the lack of face-to-face communication proved difficult. Warren agreed to rejoin Died Pretty for a farewell tour of Australia, and by the end of 2002, the band was done. In 2008, the organizers of the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival were assembling a Don't Look Back tour for Australia, and they invited Died Pretty to take part, performing Doughboy Hollow in full. They agreed, and that's album's lineup – Ron Peno, Brett Myers, John Hoey, Steve Clark, and Chris Welsh – would play festival dates around the country through 2009. The Hoodoo Gurus staged a 30th Anniversary tour in 2012, and Died Pretty reunited to play several dates. Another touring festival, A Day On The Green, persuaded the band to appear at a string of dates in 2016 alongside the Hoodoo Gurus, the Sunnyboys, Ratcat, and American guests the Violent Femmes; the following year, Died Pretty and Radio Birdman staged their own nationwide tour. In early 2019, Ron Peno was diagnosed with Esophageal cancer, which forced the band to postpone a projected tour while he was in treatment. In April 2021, Peno was well enough to resume performing, and March 2023 saw the release of Live, a two-disc concert album drawn from a 2008 performance in Melbourne. They booked a tour that was slated to begin in October 2023, but Peno suffered a recurrence of his cancer, while Steve Clark was also battling health problems. The tour was officially canceled, and Ron Peno died on August 10, 2023. He was 68 years of age.
© Mark Deming /TiVo