* This is our 100th “Track Record” feature *
Peter Murphy helped form goth legends Bauhaus in Northampton in 1978, releasing the influential track “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” a year later – considered to be the first gothic rock record. Peter is often labelled “the godfather of goth”.
Bauhaus performed the song during the opening credits and introduction in the 1983 David Bowie erotic horror film The Hunger. In 1982 they reached # 15 on the UK singles chart with their cover of Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust”, earning them an appearance on BBC TV’s Top of the Pops.
The band went on to record four seminal albums before initially splitting in 1983, as well as further classic singles such as “Dark Entries”, “The Passion Of Lovers”, “Lagartija Nick” and “She’s In Parties”.
After Bauhaus called it a day, Peter Murphy’s solo career began in 1986 with the release of “Should The World Fail To Fall Apart”, with this and his eight other studio albums to date spawning fan favourites such as “Cuts You Up”, “A Strange Kind Of Love”, “All Night Long”, “Indigo Eyes”, “The Prince & Old Lady Shade” and “I’ll Fall With Your Knife”.
Peter’s new album “Silver Shade”, is scheduled for release on 9th May 2025 via Metropolis Records on 2xLP (with colour variants), CD and digitally. Containing the singles “Swoon” and “The Artroom Wonder”, with the physical and Bandcamp digital formats also including the duet with Boy George, “Let The Flowers Grow” as a bonus track.
Produced by Youth (Pink Floyd, The Verve, Crowded House, as well as a member of Killing Joke, The Orb, The Firemen) at his studio in Spain, “Silver Shade” will be Peter Murphy’s 10th studio album and a long-awaited follow-up to “Lion”, which the pair worked on together a decade ago. A symbiotic relationship born of artistic collaboration, Peter Murphy states: “This new album is as powerful as any of my work to date.”
Peter Murphy and Boy George combined forces for majestic orchestral track, “Let The Flowers Grow”. Produced and co-written by Youth.
Peter recalls: “I was recording my new album in Spain with Youth and, while listening to a playback of a song, I heard another piece of music coming from his mobile phone. It caught my ear for its melodic beauty as well as a Roy Orbison-like voice that was singing it.”
Upon learning that it was an unfinished demo written by Boy George, Peter was intrigued and asked Youth if he could work on the partial song. “In a matter of 20 minutes, we had ‘Flowers’ finished.” “When I heard the mix, I was satiated in every way,” beams Boy George. “I have always loved Pete’s voice and his writing on this adds a beautiful darkness. The production feels very epic, like Scott Walker.”
Peter recalls: “I first met Boy George when he asked to be allowed backstage to meet Howard Devoto when Bauhaus were supporting Magazine. He struck me as a super-original, self styled 17th Century fop. The second time I met him was when we walked into the BBC to do ‘Ziggy Stardust’ on Top of the Pops where Culture Club were also making their debut on the show. George greeted me very warmly and I discovered he was a Bauhaus fan.”
Boy George adds: “It makes me dizzy and proud,” while Murphy concludes: “Boy George loves it and I’m so glad.”
“Swoon” was the first official single from the new album.
“The Artroom Wonder” is the current single. Peter explains the background to the song: “An echo from my 4th year at senior school. Daniel Ash [former Bauhaus bandmate] and I are listening to the mysterious 6th year cool intelligentsia that have gathered in the art room. We have dared to enter their conclave, and the music coming from it is intriguing.
“We discover that the song being played is [David Bowie’s] ‘The Bewlay Brothers’, highly intelligent, mystical and sensual, with the singer’s voice as seductive as anyone I’d ever heard.” Justin Chancellor of Tool plays bass guitar on “The Artroom Wonder”, one of several guest musicians on “Silver Shade”,
Peter Murphy’s “Track Record”
1. First song you recall hearing as a child?
“A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles.
2. First single you owned?
“She Loves You” by The Beatles.
3. First LP/album you owned?
“Tyrannosaurus Rex” by T. Rex.
4. First CD you owned?
“Nightclubbing” by Grace Jones.
5. Last music you bought and in what format (CD/vinyl/digital download)?
Digital download: “FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE” by Brian Eno.
6. Which album would you be happy to receive as a gift?
“This Mortal Coil” by This Mortal Coil – in vinyl [2011 compilation on 4AD Records].
7. Favourite album? (Choose more than one if need be…)
“Music For Airports” by Brian Eno.
8. Best record ever made (can be single/album/EP – and choose more than one if need be)?
“Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares” (4AD records), “Mustt Mustt” by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Real World Records).
9. Guilty secret (or anything unusual or perhaps unexpected) in your music collection?
“Requiem” by Gabriel Fauré.
10. What does music mean to you and how does it make you feel?
Heart and soul of life – here and wherever.
11. Which song or album is a guaranteed mood booster?
“Be My Baby” by the Ronettes. Aretha Franklin’s live recording of Nessun Dorma [@ the Grammys 1998].
12. Which song or album would be the soundtrack to a film about your life?
I have no idea.
13. Your favourite driving track – or music to exercise to?
Anything by Massive Attack, and Leftfield, and Prince.
14. Best song or album for a romantic moment?
“Wild Is The Wind” by David Bowie, The Power Of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
15. Which song was played for the “First Dance” at your wedding (if you are married) or which song would you choose if you did get married?
I am married and we did not dance at our wedding. But in another life another time, how about “Cosmic Dancer” by Marc Bolan.
16. Your choice of song to sing at karaoke?
I would not do karaoke.
17. Which song takes you back to your childhood – and to which specific memory/memories?
“Penny Lane” by The Beatles takes me back to my childhood. No specific memory except being a young boy, experiencing the world with wide-eyed wonder. A strong sense of almost cinematic nostalgia comes to me with this song.
18. Favourite band (or bands)?
Roxy Music. Massive Attack.
19. Favourite singer (or singers)?
Lisa Gerard, Aretha Franklin, Maria Callas.
20. Which song would you like played at your funeral?
“Fauré’s Requiem” and something from Brian Eno’s “Music For Airports”, and from world artist Mercan Dede.
Peter Murphy photos by Jolene Siana, Chad Kelco and others – all PR/Management-supplied.
Boy George photo by Dean Stockings
