Baxter Dury @ Junkyard in Dortmund

About the artist

Baxter Dury grew up in a chaotic flat known as "Catshit Mansions" with his father Ian Dury — an upbringing that may well have contributed to the distinctive blend of bone-dry humour, seedy London observations and raw autobiographical honesty that characterises his music. Over two decades he has delivered low-key, sardonic music — late-night London snapshots, shuffling basslines, comedown disco tunes, all run through with a seedy bleakness and a warm love of humanity. His deadpan vocals and debauched storytelling are balanced against subtle chamber pop arrangements and a nervy, new wave-inspired approach. His fifth album Prince of Tears (2017) was hailed as a lovelorn, unvarnished masterpiece. Then came the ninth and perhaps finest: Allbarone (2025), made in collaboration with super-producer Paul Epworth, and his most compelling album in almost a decade — bitter, funny and deeply groovy all at once. It's rare to hear of an artist making the best work of their career on their ninth album. On stage he is a masterful entertainer who blends anxiety and a fear of intimacy with a conspicuous, warm love for his audience. The son of Ian Dury has long since earned the right to stand in his own light.