Butterfly Child formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1984. The group was led by the singer/songwriter Joe Cassidy. Described as “purveyors of shimmering, oceanic rock”, the band has released three full-length albums and numerous singles/EPs.
After playing shows throughout Ireland, Butterfly Child released an EP titled ‘Toothfairy’, which was picked up by legendary BBC DJ John Peel, who invited the band to play a Peel Session in 1992. A second EP ‘Eucalyptus’ was released the same year.
In 1993, Butterfly Child signed to Rough Trade Records. They released the EP ‘Ghetto Speak’ and the album Onomatopoeia. In November 1993, Butterfly Child returned to Maida Vale for a second Peel Session. Broadcast in January 1994, the session includeded two songs that later appeared on the second album.
Work began on The Honeymoon Suite in summer 1994 with the intention to release it that autumn, but its release was delayed because of disagreements with the record company over the running order and content. After protracted discussions, it was finally released as originally intended by Dedicated Records in 1995. Frustrated by the experience, Cassidy moved to Chicago in 1997 to begin work on a third album. Soft Explosives was released in late 1998 by HitIt! Recordings, a Chicago label that had handled the US releases of the first two albums.
Following a lengthy break, Butterfly Child released ‘No Longer Living In Your Shadow’ as a 7″ single on Dell’Orso Records in 2012. For I Wanna Be Kate: The Songs Of Kate Bush – Remastered And Expanded, Butterfly Child recorded Top Of The City in 2020.
On 15 July 2021, Cassidy died of heart problems and sepsis after falling ill earlier in the month. He was 51.
References
- Butterfly Child. Wikipedia, retrieved 8 December 2023
- Butterfly Child. I Wanna Be Kate website, retrieved 8 December 2023
