Peter Bruntnell

Peter Bruntnell

Peter Bruntnell is a British singer-songwriter from Wellington, United Kingdom. His music is associated with alternative country and country rock, and it is also described in terms of Americana, alt-country, indie and power pop.

Early life and background

Bruntnell’s family is originally from Wales. His family moves to New Zealand after his father is sent to work at the British High Commission in Wellington, then returns to the UK when Bruntnell is one year old. He grows up in Kingston upon Thames, and later lives in Vancouver, Canada for a period.

Career

In the early 1990s, Bruntnell records two albums as The Peter Bruntnell Combination. He also forms the band Milkwood in that period, before returning to solo work and to recordings with Matt Backer and Felix Harper under The Peter Bruntnell Combination name.

His debut album, Cannibal, appears under The Peter Bruntnell Combination name. His second album, and first solo album, Camelot in Smithereens, follows in 1997. He then moves to the Slow River label for Normal for Bridgwater in 1999. That album receives strong recommendations from VH1’s Bill Flanagan and Rolling Stone’s John Luerssen, which helps him reach a wider American audience.

Normal for Bridgwater is recorded with musicians from Son Volt, a group Bruntnell tours with regularly in the United States. In 2013, Loose Music issues Retrospective, which collects music from his albums to that point. The release is preceded by a single and video for a re-recording of “Played Out” featuring Rumer.

Performance style

Bruntnell is known as a live performer with a strong stage presence and very little spoken between songs. His band has been compared to Crazy Horse, and his country-rock sound is described as heavier than might be expected.