Bilinda Butcher

About Bilinda Butcher

Bilinda Jayne Butcher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as a vocalist and guitarist of the shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine.

Butcher's vocals have been referred to as a trademark of My Bloody Valentine's sound, alongside Kevin Shields' guitar techniques. On a number of occasions during the recording of Isn't Anything, Butcher was awoken and recorded vocals, which she said "influenced [her] sound" by making them "more dreamy and sleepy". A similar process was used during the recording of Loveless, on which her vocals have been described as "dreamy [and] sensual". Explaining the situation, Butcher said: "often when we do vocals, it's 7:30 in the morning; I've usually just fallen asleep and have to be woken up to sing … I'm usually trying to remember what I've been dreaming about when I'm singing". Her singing was originally influenced by Francoise Hardy and later by Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth.

Butcher wrote a third of the lyrics on both Isn't Anything and Loveless. According to Butcher, she "didn't have a plan and never thought about lyrics until it was time to write them. I just used whatever was in my head for the moment". Some of her lyrics were written as a result of attempting to understand rough versions of songs Shields had recorded. Butcher has said: "He [Shields] never sang any words on the cassettes I got but I tried to make his sounds into words. It always became my own thing in the end though".

Like Shields, Butcher uses a number of offset guitars. Her most notable instruments include several Fender electric guitars, including Jaguars, Jazzmasters and Mustangs. On occasion, Butcher uses a Charvel Surfcaster, which she has referred to as her favourite guitar. When performing live, Butcher uses a minimal number of effects pedals and processors.

Starting at the age of seventeen, Butcher worked as a nanny for a French family in London for six months and later moved to Paris for another six months with her partner. The pair moved back to London, squatting in Brixton, and had a child, Toby.

Music career

During her adolescence, Butcher became a fan of gothic rock bands such as Bauhaus, and later post-punk artists such as The Birthday Party.