Brendan Perry announces the reissue of his 1999 album, Eye of the Hunter, expanded for its first ever repress to now include a bonus live album Live at the I.C.A., recorded during 4AD’s infamous 13 Year Itch residency at the storied London venue in 1993.

Some fifteen years after Dead Can Dance’s self-titled debut, Brendan Perry first stepped out on his own in 1999 with the wondrous eight track album, Eye of the Hunter.

Having mutually disbanded Dead Can Dance so he and Lisa Gerrard could focus on their own material (a hiatus that would last seven years between playing live shows and sixteen between making albums), Brendan’s debut built on his renown as a solo performer, having often played just he and an acoustic guitar during his band’s otherworldly live shows. Indeed, Dead Can Dance’s first official live album, 1994’s Toward The Within, captures just this with three Brendan solo tracks helping to set the scene for what came next.

Recorded at Brendan’s Quivvy Church studio in County Cavan in Ireland and backed by the band of Liam Bradley (drums), Glen Garrett (bass guitar) and Martin Quinn (pedal steel), Brendan performs the guitar, a 12-string guitar, mandolin and keys to achieve a rich, gothic sound while the album’s incredible production elevates his vocals to Scott Walker and Tim Buckley levels of delivery; two clear influences, the latter’s ‘I Must Have Been Blind Here’ is thoughtfully covered here.

A record that has been out of print on vinyl since its release in 1999, people have been asking for it to be repressed for long enough. Having been mastered at Abbey Road, fans will be delighted to hear that not only is Eye of the Hunter finally being reissued but that it’s also been expanded to include Live at the I.C.A. The single ‘Happy Time (Live at the I.C.A.)’, a Tim Buckley cover, is released today from the latter. A true collectible, this extra album has previously only been available on a rare as hen’s teeth promotional cassette, recorded during 4AD’s infamous 13 Year Itch residency at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1993. Chris Bigg’s fantastic art remains front and centre, upgraded to a gatefold sleeve for the LP with the coloured vinyl matching the album’s palette (Eye of the Hunter on transparent teal and Live at the I.C.A. on seafoam green). The reissue will also be available on CD.

Brendan Perry is one half of one of the most successful and enduring acts in 4AD’s history, Dead Can Dance. Perry spent sixteen years searching the world for meaning and knowledge through music in partnership with Lisa Gerrard, before turning his attention to his solo record, Eye Of The Hunter.

Although Eye Of The Hunter was released in October 1999, Brendan began work on the album while Dead Can Dance were still active – the idea was inspired, in part, by his incredible solo performance during 4AD’s 13 Year Itch celebrations at the ICA in 1993.

Boasting lush production sensibilities and a boundary-defying spirit, Eye Of The Hunter offered an immediate familiarity to fans of Dead Can Dance’s unique soundworld. But there were differences in both the way the music was made and how it was presented. Eye Of The Hunter was recorded at Brendan’s Quivvy Church studio in County Cavan in Ireland: a relatively isolated setting which allowed its owner space to pursue other interests at the same time. And this range of other interests manifested in the music itself.

In contrast to the somewhat improvised approach taken by Perry in Dead Can Dance, Eye Of The Hunter’s vignettes were crafted using a more traditional singer / songwriter process. The music, centred on Brendan’s thoughtful and restrained guitar playing, provided a backdrop for his deep, gentle vocals. While much of Dead Can Dance’s work eluded categorisation, here Brendan embraced it, making a folk record in the truest sense: rooted in his life experiences, each song had its own story but also contributed to an overall theme. Eye Of The Hunter’s deeply personal songs explored the theme of loss – both of life and love – but they were not bereft of hope. ‘Saturday’s Child’, which opens the record, poignantly describes the changing relationship between Brendan and his father as each grew older. ‘Sloth’ deals with time lost to anger, addiction, and inertia, preventing us from achieving our true potential. ‘The Captive Heart’ deals with the attempt to keep love afloat over a long distance. A cover of Tim Buckley’s ‘Must Have Been Blind’ features one of the record’s more extravagant arrangements, with layers of pedal steel supporting Brendan’s soaring vocals.

Brendan Perry toured Europe and North America in support of Eye Of The Hunter, but apart from a number of local performances and workshops in Ireland, he remained out of the public eye until Dead Can Dance reformed for a series of live concerts in the spring of 2005.