Baxter Dury

Spinning wry, observant stories of life among the well-heeled yet poorly behaved, Baxter Dury balances his deadpan vocals and debauched storytelling with subtle chamber pop arrangements and a nervy, new wave-inspired approach. After establishing his template on early works like 2002's Len Parrot's Memorial Lift, he slipped in some disco (2017's Prince of Tears) and dance music (2018's B.E.D.) but his bedrock drawl and surprisingly melodic songs never wavered. As the decade turned, records like 2023's laceratingly bleak, hip-hop-inspired I Thought I Was Better Than You cemented his place as one of the wittiest, most biting songwriters of his era.

Dury was born on December 17, 1971 in Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, England. He had his first brush with fame at the age of five when he posed with his father Ian Dury for the cover of the latter's 1977 album New Boots and Panties!! By that time, Baxter was already used to life on the road, traveling with his father and his pub rock group Kilburn & the High Roads, and later Ian Dury & the Blockheads. Growing up, Baxter moved back and forth between living with his dad, where he had near total freedom, and his mother, Elizabeth "Betty" Rathmell, who provided a loving but more structured environment. In his teens, Baxter shared his father's rebellious nature, and by the time he was 15, he'd dropped out of school. For a couple years, Ian left him in the care of a friend and roadie known as "The Sulphate Strangler" for his sideline in dealing amphetamines. Baxter briefly developed a speed habit of his own, then led a nomadic life throughout his twenties, during which he worked as an assistant on a British reality show, studied filmmaking in New York City, and served as an English teacher in Spain.

While in his twenties, Baxter also began dabbling in music, writing songs with Ben Gallagher, whose father, Mickey, played keyboards with Ian Dury & the Blockheads and the Clash. Baxter didn't make his debut as a live performer until 2000, the same year his father succumbed to colorectal cancer at the age of 57. At a memorial concert for Ian, Baxter sang the song "My Old Man," which sparked interest in him as an artist. He struck a deal with Rough Trade, releasing the EP Oscar Brown in 2001, and his debut album, Len Parrot's Memorial Lift, appeared in 2002. The record didn't fare well commercially, but the follow-up, 2005's Floor Show, charted in France, where Baxter was developing a strong following.

Dury signed with the EMI-distributed Regal label in time for the release of 2011's Happy Soup, which included several songs based on his experiences with former girlfriends, a decision he came to regret. He displayed a more mature and literate lyrical style on 2014's It's a Pleasure, his first release for the Le Label, while he also found his audience growing in Spain and Latin America. The songs on 2017's Prince of Tears were informed by Dury's childhood, a tough romantic breakup, and the impact of Brexit on the British consciousness. The album featured vocals by singer/songwriter Rose Elinor Dougall and Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods.

The next year, Dury teamed with French house legend Etienne de Crécy and Skinny Girl Diet vocalist Delilah Holliday to release a short album of electro-tinged debauched balladry titled B.E.D; it was Dury's first record for the Heavenly label. In 2020, The Night Chancers was a slightly stripped-down but still quite lush album. Co-produced by longtime collaborator Craig Silvey, the record found Dury digging once again into the lyrically sordid underbelly of life. A busy 2021 saw him team up with producer Fred Again on the "Baxter (These Are My Friends)" single, publish an autobiography titled Chaise Longue, and issue a greatest-hits album, Mr. Maserati (Best of Baxter Dury 2001-2021). The latter projects cleared the decks for a new approach to music making wherein Dury came up with rough demos and sent them off to producer Paul White to add finishing touches. The result was I Thought I Was Better Than You, a hip-hop-inspired album that saw Dury directing his incisive gaze toward his privileged upbringing with the help of vocalists Eska Mtungwazi, JGrrey, and Madeline Hart. The album was released in June of 2023. ~ Mark Deming & Tim Sendra, Rovi