Pete de Freitas
Peter Louis Vincent de Freitas (2 August 1961 – 14 June 1989) was an English musician and producer. He was the drummer in Echo & the Bunnymen, and performed on their first five albums.
Pete de Freitas | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Peter Louis Vincent de Freitas |
| Born | 2 August 1961 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Died | 14 June 1989 (aged 27) Longdon Green, England |
| Genres | Post-punk, alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1979–1989 |
Career
He joined the Bunnymen in 1979, replacing a drum machine.[1] Bunnymen's singer Ian McCulloch related that they told him "to get stuck into the toms. Budgie [from the Banshees] was the only other drummer doing that stuff at the time and Pete loved his drumming".[2]
He funded, produced and played drums under the name Louis Vincent on the first single of the Wild Swans, "The Revolutionary Spirit", in 1982, for the Zoo Records label.[3]
In 1985, de Freitas temporarily left the band. He spent several months drinking in New Orleans, while attempting to form a new group, the Sex Gods. By 1987, he returned to the Bunnymen to record their fifth album, though only as a part-time member.[4] He was married in the same year and his daughter Lucie Marie was born in 1988.[5]
Death
De Freitas died in a motorcycle accident in 1989 at the age of 27, on his way to Liverpool from London. He was riding a 900cc Ducati motorcycle on the A51 road in Longdon Green, Staffordshire when he collided with a motor vehicle at approximately 16:00. His ashes are buried in Goring-on-Thames.[6]
Personal life
De Freitas was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and educated by the Benedictines at Downside School in Somerset, south-west England. His father, Denis, was a copyright lawyer.[7] His sisters Rose and Rachel were founding members of the band the Heart Throbs. His brother Frank is the bass player of the Woodentops.[8]
See also
References
- Bourke, Fionnuala (17 November 2015). "12 Things you didn't know about Echo & the Bunnymen". birminghammail.
- Adams, Chris (2002). Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen. NY: Soft Skull Press. p. 61. ISBN 1887128891.
we banned hi-hats and anything else that 'tsss.' We told him to get stuck into the toms. Budgie [from the Banshees] was the only other drumming doing that stuff at the time and Pete loved his drumming. - Ian McCulloch, 1995
- "The Wild Swans with Paul Simpson in conversation". C86show.org. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- "Paul Du Noyer interviews Echo & The Bunnymen". Pauldunoyer.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- "Echo & The Bunnymen's 'Bright And Beautiful' Pete De Freitas Remembered". Mojo. 2014.
- MacDonald, Les (July 2010). The Day the Music Died – Les MacDonald – Google Books. ISBN 9781453522677.
- Maureen Duffy (24 January 2004). "Obituary: Denis de Freitas". The Guardian.
- Clarkson, John. "Woodentops - Interviews". Pennyblackmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
