When Rowland S Howard died of liver cancer in December of 2009 the world at large may not have sat up and taken notice, particularly, but those who grew up in the post-rock scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s understood the loss. As the guitar player for The Birthday Party, a frequent collaborator with Lydia Lunch and the founder of These Immortal Souls Howard was one of the most intense, unique and groundbreaking musicians of his era. His sound was unmistakable and his influence has been immense.
Directed by Richard Lowenstein and Lynn-Maree Milburn with The Birthday Party and Bad Seed's Mick Harvey aboard as a producer, Autoluminescent will put Howard's life on to Australian screens in October. With any luck it will hit the doc circuit shortly thereafter because the trailer - which you can see below - looks absolutely fantastic.From myth to legend Rowland Howard appeared on the early Melbourne punk scene like a phantom out of Kafkaesque Prague or Bram Stoker's Dracula. A beautifully gaunt and gothic aristocrat, the unique distinctive fury of his guitar style shot him directly into the imagination of a generation. He was impeccable, the austerity of his artistry embodied in his finely wrought form, his obscure tastes and his intelligently wry wit. He radiated a searing personal integrity that never seemed to tarnish. Despite the trials and tribulations of his career, in an age of makeover and reinvention, Rowland Howard never 'sold out'. With recent and moving interviews, archival interviews and other fascinating and original footage, AUTOLUMINESCENT traces the life of Rowland S Howard. Capturing moments with the man himself and intimate missives from those who knew him behind closed doors; words and images etch light into what has always been the mysterious dark.