The Absence: Memoirs Of A Banshee Drummer Budgie – Punk77 Review August 2025

This review examines drummer Budgie’s memoir, which blends music history with psychological introspection, centered on the absence created by his mother’s death in St Helens. The book traces his drumming career from Spitfire Boys and Big In Japan through his pivotal role on The Slits’ seminal album Cut—where producer Dennis Bovell introduced him to reggae percussion techniques—to his long tenure with Siouxsie and the Banshees following Kenny Morris’s departure. The narrative reveals the band’s paradoxical relationship with rock stardom: publicly anti-establishment yet privately indulgent in luxury, drugs, and expensive aesthetics. The reviewer notes Budgie’s account of marrying Siouxsie (divorcing in 2007) provides rare insider perspective on the notoriously insular group, contrasting it with Charlie Harper’s recent punk memoir. While offering valuable context on band dynamics, particularly the unresolved tension between Siouxsie and Severin, the book disappointingly lacks emotional depth regarding specific albums and songwriting, offering sparse musical analysis beyond the band’s commercial consolidation around Juju.

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