Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career. Though often indirect, their influence has been far-reaching, and have been called one of "the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s." Their music was classified by critic Simon Reynolds as gothic rock. In his lyrics, Nick Cave combined "sacred and profane" things, using old testament imagery, with stories about sin, curses and damnation. Their 1981 single "Release the Bats" was particularly influential in the gothic scene. Some of their material was also qualified as no wave.
Despite their limited commercial success, the creative core of the Birthday Party have gone on to acclaimed careers: singer and songwriter Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mick Harvey, and singer, songwriter and guitarist Rowland S. Howard.
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