Douglas Pearce (born 27 April 1956), known professionally as Douglas P., is a British musician, best known for his neofolk project Death in June. He was born in Sheerwater in Woking, Surrey and lives in Australia, which has been his home since the mid-1990s.
Douglas P. | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Douglas Pearce |
| Born | 27 April 1956 |
| Genres | Post-punk, neofolk, experimental, dark ambient, martial industrial, punk rock |
Early life
editPearce was born on 27 April 1956 and grew up in Sheerwater, a suburb of Woking in Surrey which he said was a "white, working-class ghetto"; his father worked as a courier for the military and had served in World War II. Both of his parents were English, though his mother claimed Scots-Irish ancestry. His father died of a heart attack at age 56, when Pearce was 14. He grew up in what he describes as "a very militaristic environment, surrounded by war"; he says that he "had a natural attraction to war". At the age of 18 Pearce left home, went hitchhiking around Europe and "came home a changed man".[1]
As a child, Pearce was exorcised by his parents for alleged demonic possession, and after his father died, his mother and he would "muck around with a Ouija board". Pearce believes in the paranormal and occult, and claims to have had contact with various entities saying "I believe in gods, demons, angels whether they're from the inner psyche, another dimension or whatever. I've heard them and I've seen them. I've even felt them touch me".[2] For a while, he was involved with the International Marxist Group.[3]
Career
editCrisis
editIn 1977 Pearce began his musical career in a British punk band called Crisis.[4] After Crisis disbanded in 1980, Pearce formed Death in June with Crisis bandmate Tony Wakeford (currently of the English folk noir band, Sol Invictus) and Patrick O'Kill né Leagas (now a member of the English band Mother Destruction).
Death in June
editIn 1985 Douglas P. became the sole constant member of Death in June, with rotating guest musicians serving as collaborators and live band members. Pearce continues to work under the Death in June moniker.
New European Recordings
editPearce has released numerous recordings of musical work of his own and others under his New European Recordings label since 1981.
Neofolk
editPearce was highly influential in the creation of a musical movement often referred to as neofolk, often collaborating and playing live with various artists within the genre. He was a guitarist, drummer and occasional vocalist for experimental music group Current 93.[5]
Personal life
editDouglas P. is openly gay,[6] and says that "being gay is fundamental to Death in June"; he expresses discontent with that side of Death in June not being explored in interviews. His literary influences include Yukio Mishima and Jean Genet, whom he admires "not only because their work was brilliant but that they were also homosexual".[7]
Discography
edit| Year | Title | Format, Special Notes | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | No Town Hall | 7" | Crisis |
| 1979 | UK 79/White Youth | 7" | Crisis |
| 1980 | Hymns of Faith | LP | Crisis |
| 1981 | Alienation | 7" | Crisis |
| 1981 | Heaven Street | 12" | Death in June |
| 1982 | State Laughter/Holy Water | 7" | Death in June |
| 1983 | The Guilty Have No Pride | LP | Death in June |
| 1984 | Burial | LP | Death in June |
| 1984 | She Said Destroy | 12"/7" | Death in June |
| 1985 | Nada! | LP | Death in June |
| 1985 | Born Again | 12" | Death in June |
| 1985 | Come Before Christ And Murder Love | 12"/7" | Death in June |
| 1986 | The World That Summer | 2xLP | Death in June |
| 1986 | Lesson 1: Misanthropy | LP | Death in June |
| 1987 | To Drown A Rose | 10" | Death in June |
| 1987 | Brown Book | LP | Death in June |
| 1987 | Oh How We Laughed | Live LP/CD, semi-official. | Death in June |
| 1987 | Happy Birthday | 12" | Current 93 |
| 1987 | Dawn | LP | Current 93 |
| 1988 | The Red Face of God | 12" | Current 93 |
| 1988 | Christ and the Pale Queens Mighty in Sorrow | LP | Current 93 |
| 1988 | Earth Covers Earth | LP | Current 93 |
| 1988 | Swastikas For Noddy | LP | Current 93 |
| 1989 | 93 Dead Sunwheels | EP/CD | Death in June |
| 1989 | The Corn Years | CD | Death in June |
| 1989 | She Is Dead and All Fall Down | 7" | Current 93 |
| 1989 | Swastikas For Noddy | LP | Current 93 |
| 1989 | Crooked Crosses for the Nodding God | LP | Current 93 |
| 1989 | Music, Martinis, & Misanthropy | LP | Boyd Rice and Friends |
| 1990 | The Wall of Sacrifice | LP/CD | Death in June |
| 1990 | 1888 | EP | Death in June |
| 1990 | Looney Runes | LP | Current 93 |
| 1991 | The Cathedral of Tears | CD | Death in June |
| 1992 | Ostenbraun | 2x cassette/CD | Death in June & Les Joyaux De La Princesse |
| 1992 | But, What Ends When The Symbols Shatter? | LP/CD | Death in June |
| 1992 | Paradise Rising | 12"/CDS | Death in June |
| 1992 | In the Shadow of the Sword (live) | LP | NON |
| 1992 | Death in June/Current 93/Sol Invictus | CD, previously a bootleg before official release. | Death in June |
| 1992 | Gilded by the Sun | CD | Fire + Ice |
| 1992 | Gestures | CD | Somewhere in Europe |
| 1992 | Thunder Perfect Mind | CD/LP | Current 93 |
| 1993 | Cathedral of Tears | 12"/CDS | Death in June |
| 1993 | Something Is Coming | 2xLP/2xCD | Death in June |
| 1993 | Hitler as Kalki (live) | LP | Current 93 |
| 1994 | Sun Dogs | 7"/CDS | Death in June |
| 1994 | Beauty Reaps The Blood of Solitude | CD | Nature & Organisation |
| 1994 | Dark Rose | 7" | Strength Through Joy |
| 1995 | Rose Clouds of Holocaust | LP/CD | Death in June |
| 1995 | Black Whole of Love | CDS 7", 10", 12" box set | Death in June |
| 1995 | Death in June Presents: Occidental Martyr | CD/10" | Occidental Martyr |
| 1995 | The Force of Truth And Lies | CD | Strength Through Joy |
| 1996 | Death in June Presents: KAPO! | LP/CD | Death In June |
| 1996 | Heaven Sent | LP | Scorpion Wind |
| 1996 | Salute To Light | 2CD | Strength Through Joy |
| 1997 | Die Schuldigen und der Nebel | 2xCD box set, previously a bootleg before official release. | Death in June |
| 1997 | DISCriminate ('81-'97) | 2xCD, "a compilation of personal choice," previously released material. | Death in June |
| 1997 | God and Beast | LP | NON |
| 1997 | Sulphur – Low Seed Replication | CD | Splinter Test |
| 1997 | Despiritualisation of Nature | CD | Tehom |
| 1998 | Take Care & Control | LP/CD | Death in June |
| 1998 | Kameradschaft | CDS | Death in June |
| 1998 | Passion! Power!! Purge!!! | CDS | Death in June |
| 1999 | Der Tod Im Juni | CD | Death in June |
| 1999 | Heilige! | CD | Death in June |
| 2000 | Operation Hummingbird | LP/CD | Death in June |
| 2000 | We Said Destroy | 7" | Death in June & Fire + Ice |
| 2000 | Birdking | CD | Fire + Ice |
| 2000 | The Way I Feel | CD | Boyd Rice |
| 2000 | Theriomorphic Spirit | CD | Tehom |
| 2001 | All Pigs Must Die | LP/CD | Death in June |
| 2001 | Wolf Pact | LP | Boyd Rice and Fiends (sic) |
| 2003 | Windzeit | CD | Forseti |
| 2004 | Alarm Agents | LP/Coloured Vinyl/CD | Death in June & Boyd Rice |
| 2004 | Live in Osaka | CD | NON |
| 2004 | Trephanus Uhr | CD | Luftwaffe |
| 2004 | Blacksun Rising | CD | Projekt Thule |
| 2005 | Abandon Tracks | 2xLP/CD. Rare and previously unreleased material. | Death in June |
| 2005 | The Doctor | 2xLP/CD. Contains spoken material by Pearce. | Thomas Nola et son Orchestre |
| 2008 | Agony & Irony | CD. Contains spoken material by Pearce on song I Found Away | Alkaline Trio |
| 2008 | The Rule of Thirds | 2x10"/CD | Death in June |
| 2010 | Peaceful Snow | 2x10"/CD | Death in June |
| 2013 | The Snow Bunker Tapes | LP/CD | Death In June |
| 2018 | Essence! | LP/CD | Death in June |
References
edit- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ "Death in June.Org – MediaWiki – Interview:2000-Dagoberts Revenge". Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ "A History of Anti-Fascist Punk Around the World in 9 Songs". Pitchfork. 6 March 2017.
- ^ DeRogatis, Jim (17 December 2003). "Nazis or not? Censorship keeps fans from deciding". Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ "DEATH IN JUNE – Interview with Douglas P. And Miro Snejdr | THE END OF BEING". Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ Burkholder, Helene (17 April 2008). "Balladeer of Doom – An interview with Douglas P., Part 2". Judas Kiss. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
- ^ "OCCIDENTAL CONGRESS :: An interview with Douglas Pearce". Occidentalcongress.com. Retrieved 17 July 2020.