Brendan Perry (born 30 June 1959 in Whitechapel, London) was half of one of… Read Full Bio ↴Brendan Perry (born 30 June 1959 in Whitechapel, London) was half of one of the most successful and enduring acts in 4AD's history: Dead Can Dance. He spent 16 years searching the world for meaning and knowledge through music in partnership with Lisa Gerrard, then turned his attention to a solo record which would continue this exploration. Although Eye Of The Hunter was released in October 1999, Brendan began work on the album while Dead Can Dance were still active - the idea was inspired, in part, by his incredible solo performance during 4AD's 13 Year Itch celebrations at the ICA in 1993. Boasting lush production sensibilities and a boundary-defying spirit, Eye Of The Hunter offered an immediate familiarity to fans of Dead Can Dance's unique soundworld. But there were difference in the manner the music was made, and also how it was presented. Though Dead Can Dance employed vocals, the duo's goal was to express emotions beyond language. Their recording process was also open to improvisation, Brendan and Lisa letting the music lead them to its destination. In contrast, Eye Of The Hunter's vignettes were written - crafted - using a more traditional singer / songwriter process. The music, centered around Brendans thoughtful and restrained guitar playing, provided a backdrop for his deep, gentle vocals. And while much of Dead Can Dance's work eluded categorisation, Brendan embraced it, making a folk record in the truest sense: these songs - each one its own story but each also contributing to an overall theme - were rooted in his life experiences.

'Eye Of The Hunter' was recorded at Brendan's Quivvy Church studio in County Cavan in Ireland. It's a relatively isolated setting - one which allows its owner space to pursue his interests, which range from music to astronomy and archery to arboriculture. Dead Can Dance's music often suggested a search for meaning and sense in the world, and Brendan has taken up a similar journey. But instead of looking at the external world, he has decided to explore the inner world of his own private universe. "People have multiple personalities which are always evolving," he says. "This record deals with the different facets of my own personality." "Eye Of The Hunter's deeply personal songs explore the theme of loss - both of life and love - but they are not bereft of hope. "Saturday's Child," which opens the record, poignantly describes the changing relationship between Brendan and his father after the latter suffered two debilitating strokes. "Sloth" deals with time lost to anger, addiction and inertia, preventing us from achieving our true potential. "The Captive Heart" deals with the attempt to keep love afloat over a long distance. A cover of Tim Buckley's "Must Have Been Blind" features one of the record's more extravagant arrangements, with layers of pedal steel supporting Brendan's soaring vocals. An emotional centerpiece is the haunting, autobiographical "Voyage of Bran". Brendan Perry toured Europe and North America in support of Eye Of The Hunter. But - apart from a number of local performances and workshops in Ireland - he subsequently remained out of the public eye until Dead Can Dance reformed for a series of live concerts in the spring of 2005.

His second album entitled 'Ark' was released 7 June 2010. This album was very different from 'Eye of the Hunter', notably because it will feature rhythm machines and electric guitars.

Two more Dead Can Dance albums followed; 'Anastasis' (2012) and 'Dionysius' (2018) along with a selection of live releases; 'Live Happenings I-V' (2012) and 'In Concert' (2013). 'Live Happenings' was a selection of live tracks released in 5 separate parts online. Each part consisted of 4/5 tracks. These were recordings from the 2005 DCD tour. 'In Concert' was recordings from the 2012 tour.

During the time between albums Brendan also moved from Ireland to Bretagne/Brittany, France and during February/March 2019 completed a solo tour in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany, starting in La Souterraine (FR), closely followed by a Dead Can Dance tour which started in Rennes (FR) in May 2019.

Ten years after 'Ark', on 20 November 2020 Brendan released his third solo album 'Songs of Disenchantment: Music from the Greek Underground'. Initially released in digital formats (MP3/FLAC) and via streaming (Spotify, Amazon Music etc) The physical vinyl and CD versions followed in Spring 2021. This is an album of Greek songs in the Rebetiko street music style (Greek blues?). All the songs are cover versions of 1920s-1930s Greek songs but have been translated in to English. Brendan plays all the instruments himself including traditional instruments like Bouzouki, Saz, Baglama & Tsouras along with lutes and the dulcimer, which DCD fans will be familiar with.

Next up is a Dead Can Dance's Europe tour in 2022, rescheduled from 2021 due to Covid restrictions.

Death Will Be My Bride
Brendan Perry Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Woke up this morning
Set off down the road
Left behind me all those years
Searching for a common soul
I've been looking for a thousand
And one distractions
To empty my mind
Of thoughts of loneliness

I've been looking for someone
To take away my frustrations
But all I find is a sea of emptiness

Death will be my bride
Death will be my bride

Three hours from sundown
I'm still on the road
With those voices in my head
Ringing down the years
For the wind whispers my name
And the leaves - they lend a helping hand
If I don't reach you by this time tomorrow
I'll be stone cold dead in the ground

Death will be my bride
Death will be my bride

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Brendan Perry's song Death Will Be My Bride express a sense of desperation and loneliness. The singer of the song has been searching for companionship and distraction but to no avail, and as a result, they accept the inevitability of death as their only companion. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer has been searching for a long time and has left behind everything they knew in their pursuit of something elusive, a "common soul". The use of the word "thousand" suggests this search has been going on for a very long time.

The second verse seems to showcase the singer's exhaustion - three hours before sunset and they're still alone on the road, with only the voices in their head for company. The wind and leaves provide an eerie atmosphere, as if nature is aiding them on their final journey. The concluding lines of the song suggest that the singer has given up on finding any meaning in life, and that death is the only release from their perpetual loneliness.

Overall, "Death Will Be My Bride" is a haunting song that explores the themes of isolation, mortality, and the search for meaning.

Line by Line Meaning

Woke up this morning
I started a new day

Set off down the road
Began a journey

Left behind me all those years
Moved on from the past

Searching for a common soul
Looking for someone to relate to

I've been looking for a thousand and one distractions
Trying to keep my mind occupied

To empty my mind of thoughts of loneliness
Attempting to forget about feelings of isolation

I've been looking for someone to take away my frustrations
Hoping to find someone to relieve my stress

But all I find is a sea of emptiness
Encountering only a vast void

Death will be my bride
I have accepted that death is my inevitable end

Three hours from sundown
Approaching sunset