A LITTLE HISTORY

This remarkable book has been thirty-two years in the making, and is the result of an obsessive and long-lasting friendship between two characters who have become legends of the music world.

In 1981, dazzled by Cave’s extraordinary talent, rock photographer Bleddyn Butcher started taking photos of Cave and his then band, punk darlings The Birthday Party. A long friendship began. Bleddyn’s pointed portraits and privileged views behind the scenes are a must for any fan of Nick Cave and his great bands, from the underground punk cred of the Birthday party through to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, now a critically acclaimed Top 40 international headline act. With over 100 carefully selected and many never-before-seen photographs, A Little History will reflect both Cave’s smoulderingly hip public persona and the irrepressible humour that lightens his private life. Bleddyn has included portraits of band members from The Birthday Party, The Bad Seeds and Grinderman as well as snapshots of backstage encounters with the likes of John Cale, Bob Dylan, Kylie Minogue and Nina Simone, peers Shane MacGowan and Mark E Smith and former girlfriends Anita Lane and Viviane Carniero. With Nick's backing and an introduction from Sean O'Hagan, this will be the definitive documentation of a crucial band, Australia’s coolest ever export, with an iconic singer whose image, cult appeal, and downright sexy coolness are now more relevant than ever. Only this year his new album went to No 1 in Australia – the first time a NC and The Bad Seeds record has ever hit those heights. One of rock's few singular personalities, Nick Cave’s indomitable influence now extends far beyond music into the echoing realms of film and literature. He is an bestselling novelist and a sought-after and acclaimed screenwriter, as well as a genius composer and compiler of soundtracks for many well-known and awarded films. With continuing sold out tours around the world and increasing popularity in his home country and fans across all demographics, this will be a must have for both fans of Nick and the bands, and admirers of beautiful rock photography worldwide. Bleddyn Butcher worked for NME throughout the 1980s, photographing musicians ranging from Alex Chilton and Joe Strummer to REM, the Pixies and U2, as well as authors like William Gibson, JG Ballard and James Ellroy. His photographic work has appeared in most leading music journals and is included in the permanent collection at Australia’s National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Bleddyn now lives in Sydney. Sean O'Hagan writes about photography for the Guardian and the Observer and is also a general feature writer. He was named interviewer of the year in the British press awards in 2003 for his profiles of footballer Roy Keane and musician Brian Wilson, among others. He is the winner of the 2011 J Dudley Johnston award from the Royal Photographic Society "for major achievement in the field of photographic criticism" for his writing in the Observer and the Guardian.