The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.
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Dave Graney (aka The Australian Stallion, The Golden Wolverine, The Housewife's Choice), musician, unveiled the band known as Dave Graney with The Coral Snakes in London in 1987. Ejected by the UK Immigration Department in 1988, Graney and his partner Clare Moore returned to establish The White Buffaloes, who released the romantic My Life on the Plains in 1990. After a trip to England the Buffaloes resumed the name The Coral Snakes and made Night of the Wolverine (1993), an elegant and idiosyncratic rock classic featuring a notable guest track from Tex Perkins. The flamboyantly enigmatic Graney was named Best Australian Male Artist at the ARIA awards in 1996.
Bleddyn Butcher was born in London and came to Australia when he was six. In 1980 he returned to London where he first heard The Birthday Party and met Nick Cave. A self-trained photographer, Butcher was on the staff of New Musical Express throughout the eighties, his interests in the music industry and friendships with fellow expatriate musicians providing the impetus for much of his work. He is well known for his photographs of Nick Cave and Dave Graney and has taken publicity images and album covers for bands including U2, The Triffids and The Go Betweens. Over the past fifteen years Butcher's photographs have appeared in Melody Maker, Vox, Mojo, Rolling Stone and Vogue and he has edited and designed the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fan magazine. He lives in London, where he is currently writing a biography of The Triffids's David McComb.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002
© Bleddyn Butcher
Bleddyn@Tenderprey.com
Bleddyn Butcher (5 portraits)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Penelope Grist reminisces about the halcyon days of a print icon, before the infusion of the internet’s shades of grey.
Dave Graney and Clare Moore discuss music, photography and bandoleros of meat.
The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.
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