Rowland S Howard Lane — St Kilda, Melbourne
A St Kilda laneway named after the Birthday Party guitarist, in the heart of Melbourne's post-punk history
Between Jackson Street and Eildon Road
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
-37.8619° N · 144.9764° W
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Rowland S Howard
Rowland S Howard was a guitarist, songwriter, and an icon of the Melbourne music scene. He joined the Boys Next Door in 1978 as their second guitarist and wrote their well-known track "Shivers," later covered by the Screaming Jets. When the Boys Next Door relocated to London in 1980 they became the Birthday Party, one of the most ferocious and influential post-punk bands of the era, alongside Nick Cave. After the Birthday Party disbanded in 1983, Howard formed Crime and the City Solution and continued a solo career that produced some of the most distinctive guitar work in Australian music.
The Lane
Rowland S Howard Lane runs between 29–31 Jackson Street and 19–21 Eildon Road in St Kilda, close to where Howard lived. The lane was officially unveiled on 4 June 2015 after a lengthy campaign led by Nick Haines. The sign was unveiled by Martin Foley alongside Howard's partner Genevieve McGuckin, his brother Harry, and his sister Angela. The lane is pedestrian-only — poles restrict vehicular access — and is situated near the entertainment strip of Fitzroy Street, in the historical heartland of the Australian post-punk scene during the 1970s and 1980s.
St Kilda and Post-Punk Melbourne
St Kilda was central to Melbourne's post-punk scene. The Crystal Ballroom, the Esplanade Hotel, and the network of share houses and flats in the area housed and sustained the musicians who created one of the most vital music communities in Australia. Howard lived in St Kilda and was deeply connected to the neighbourhood. He died on 30 December 2009 from liver cancer, aged 50. The lane is a short walk from AC/DC Lane in the CBD, making it possible to visit two of Melbourne's music-named laneways in a single trip.
Rowland S Howard
Rowland S Howard was a guitarist, songwriter, and an icon of the Melbourne music scene. He joined the Boys Next Door in 1978 as their second guitarist and wrote their well-known track "Shivers," later covered by the Screaming Jets. When the Boys Next Door relocated to London in 1980 they became the Birthday Party, one of the most ferocious and influential post-punk bands of the era, alongside Nick Cave. After the Birthday Party disbanded in 1983, Howard formed Crime and the City Solution and continued a solo career that produced some of the most distinctive guitar work in Australian music.
The Lane
Rowland S Howard Lane runs between 29–31 Jackson Street and 19–21 Eildon Road in St Kilda, close to where Howard lived. The lane was officially unveiled on 4 June 2015 after a lengthy campaign led by Nick Haines. The sign was unveiled by Martin Foley alongside Howard's partner Genevieve McGuckin, his brother Harry, and his sister Angela. The lane is pedestrian-only — poles restrict vehicular access — and is situated near the entertainment strip of Fitzroy Street, in the historical heartland of the Australian post-punk scene during the 1970s and 1980s.
St Kilda and Post-Punk Melbourne
St Kilda was central to Melbourne's post-punk scene. The Crystal Ballroom, the Esplanade Hotel, and the network of share houses and flats in the area housed and sustained the musicians who created one of the most vital music communities in Australia. Howard lived in St Kilda and was deeply connected to the neighbourhood. He died on 30 December 2009 from liver cancer, aged 50. The lane is a short walk from AC/DC Lane in the CBD, making it possible to visit two of Melbourne's music-named laneways in a single trip.
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