Rowland S. Howard

Attended Swinburne Free School, from which many key figures in the late 70s Melbourne scene emerged. Rowland’s legendary band, The Young Charlatans, played only 13 shows before dissolving through internal competitiveness (Ollie Olsen being the other singer and writer).

He joined The Boys Next Door shortly afterwards, bringing with him a swag of great songs, including 'Shivers', which decades later continues to be considered a classic. With his addition, the band took an enormous leap forward musically, and Rowland began developing a guitar style as unique as the band would later become. His influence on guitarists around the world has probably been as significant as The Birthday Party's has been in general. But Rowland was also a singer, and frustrations with not getting to sing very often and Nick wanting to sing only his lyrics became contributing factors in the internal breakdown of the group. He subsequently worked on many projects with Lydia Lunch and exercised his vocal chords extensively with These Immortal Souls.

His brilliant first solo album 'Teenage Snuff Film' was released in 1999. Rowland died on December 30th. after a long battle with liver problems brought on by Hep C.

His second solo album, “Pop Crimes,” was released just a few months before his passing.