Biography
Peter Perrett fronted the Only Ones during the closing years of the 1970s, where his singular voice—marked by a weary detachment laced with caustic edge—paired with emotionally direct romantic material such as the enduring track “Another Girl, Another Planet,” positioned him among the period’s most striking songwriters. Following the group’s 1981 dissolution he endured prolonged struggles with substance dependency alongside an intermittent recording path that encompassed the 1996 release Woke Up Sticky, only to stage a robust return via three Domino Records projects, above all the 2024 set The Cleansing, whose harrowing yet redemptive tone confirmed that neither elapsed time nor accumulated hardship had dulled his gift for incisive composition or emotive delivery.
His earliest forays came in the proto-punk outfit England’s Glory during the opening half of the 1970s; he then assembled the Only Ones in 1976 alongside guitarist John Perry, bassist Alan Mair, and former Spooky Tooth drummer Mike Kellie. An independent single, “Lovers of Today,” generated interest that led CBS Records to offer a contract, after which the band introduced “Another Girl, Another Planet,” one of the most lasting cuts to emerge from the U.K. new-wave scene. Sporting a leopard-skin jacket and trading in a Lou Reed drawl, Perrett attracted extensive coverage in the music press, and the self-titled debut album earned strong notices. A follow-up collection the band produced itself, Even Serpents Shine, likewise stood out, yet internal tensions and label conflicts stalled momentum; Colin Thurston oversaw 1980’s Baby’s Got a Gun, which featured a guest turn by Pauline Murray. Declining sales prompted CBS to release the group, and the Only Ones disbanded in 1981.
Acute drug issues sidelined Perrett through most of the 1980s, leaving him so invisible that a mystique comparable to Syd Barrett’s began to form around his absence. Once he gained initial control over his addictions toward the decade’s end, he resumed activity by launching a fresh project, the One, that included guitarist Jay Price, keyboardist Miyuki Katsuno, bassist Richard Vernon, and drummer Steve Hands. An EP of original songs appeared in 1994, followed the next year by the full-length Woke Up Sticky; issued in Britain in 1996, the album revealed that Perrett’s distinctive songwriting sensibility had remained largely intact since the Only Ones era. The ensemble dissolved that same year, however, and Perrett once more receded from view.
He reappeared fleetingly in the mid-2000s, joining the Libertines onstage and performing with his sons Peter, Jr. and Jamie in their band Love Minus Zero, before reassembling a version of the Only Ones in 2007. The revived lineup staged U.K. concerts, developed fresh material, and performed at the ATP Festival in Minehead, after which Perrett again withdrew for several years.
A pair of Only Ones dates in 2014 and a seldom-seen solo appearance the following year, backed by his sons, initially suggested another fleeting return, yet this occasion proved more sustained. Clean from narcotics for the first time in decades, Perrett secured a Domino Records agreement and prepared his debut solo album. Reuniting with his sons and enlisting producer Chris Kimsey, the 2017 release How the West Was Won fused gritty rock & roll with sincere ballads, demonstrating that his songwriting acuity and vocal range remained undiminished. He toured extensively with the group and soon began another project, again assisted by his sons along with drummer Jake Woodward and the backing vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Jenny Maxwell and Lauren Moon. The resulting Humanworld, issued by Domino in June 2019, carried sharper rock & roll edges and a pointed political perspective; afterward the musicians returned to the road. Confined at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Perrett devoted much of his time to new compositions. When sessions could resume he once more recruited his sons, this time joined by Bobby Gillespie, Johnny Marr, Fontaines D.C.’s Carlos O’Connell, and Dream Wife guitarist Alice Go. The 20-song album The Cleansing emerged in late 2024, presenting the vocalist confronting the unvarnished difficulties of earlier years while simultaneously affirming his ongoing life and the relationships he values.
His earliest forays came in the proto-punk outfit England’s Glory during the opening half of the 1970s; he then assembled the Only Ones in 1976 alongside guitarist John Perry, bassist Alan Mair, and former Spooky Tooth drummer Mike Kellie. An independent single, “Lovers of Today,” generated interest that led CBS Records to offer a contract, after which the band introduced “Another Girl, Another Planet,” one of the most lasting cuts to emerge from the U.K. new-wave scene. Sporting a leopard-skin jacket and trading in a Lou Reed drawl, Perrett attracted extensive coverage in the music press, and the self-titled debut album earned strong notices. A follow-up collection the band produced itself, Even Serpents Shine, likewise stood out, yet internal tensions and label conflicts stalled momentum; Colin Thurston oversaw 1980’s Baby’s Got a Gun, which featured a guest turn by Pauline Murray. Declining sales prompted CBS to release the group, and the Only Ones disbanded in 1981.
Acute drug issues sidelined Perrett through most of the 1980s, leaving him so invisible that a mystique comparable to Syd Barrett’s began to form around his absence. Once he gained initial control over his addictions toward the decade’s end, he resumed activity by launching a fresh project, the One, that included guitarist Jay Price, keyboardist Miyuki Katsuno, bassist Richard Vernon, and drummer Steve Hands. An EP of original songs appeared in 1994, followed the next year by the full-length Woke Up Sticky; issued in Britain in 1996, the album revealed that Perrett’s distinctive songwriting sensibility had remained largely intact since the Only Ones era. The ensemble dissolved that same year, however, and Perrett once more receded from view.
He reappeared fleetingly in the mid-2000s, joining the Libertines onstage and performing with his sons Peter, Jr. and Jamie in their band Love Minus Zero, before reassembling a version of the Only Ones in 2007. The revived lineup staged U.K. concerts, developed fresh material, and performed at the ATP Festival in Minehead, after which Perrett again withdrew for several years.
A pair of Only Ones dates in 2014 and a seldom-seen solo appearance the following year, backed by his sons, initially suggested another fleeting return, yet this occasion proved more sustained. Clean from narcotics for the first time in decades, Perrett secured a Domino Records agreement and prepared his debut solo album. Reuniting with his sons and enlisting producer Chris Kimsey, the 2017 release How the West Was Won fused gritty rock & roll with sincere ballads, demonstrating that his songwriting acuity and vocal range remained undiminished. He toured extensively with the group and soon began another project, again assisted by his sons along with drummer Jake Woodward and the backing vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Jenny Maxwell and Lauren Moon. The resulting Humanworld, issued by Domino in June 2019, carried sharper rock & roll edges and a pointed political perspective; afterward the musicians returned to the road. Confined at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Perrett devoted much of his time to new compositions. When sessions could resume he once more recruited his sons, this time joined by Bobby Gillespie, Johnny Marr, Fontaines D.C.’s Carlos O’Connell, and Dream Wife guitarist Alice Go. The 20-song album The Cleansing emerged in late 2024, presenting the vocalist confronting the unvarnished difficulties of earlier years while simultaneously affirming his ongoing life and the relationships he values.
Albums
Singles
