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| Pete Briquette | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pete Briquette |
| Birth name | Patrick Martin Cusack |
| Birth date | 1953 |
| Birth place | Dublin |
| Occupation | Musician, songwriter, record producer, arranger |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Associated acts | The Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof, Van Morrison, Kate Bush |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, keyboards, synth, percussion |
Pete Briquette
Pete Briquette (born Patrick Martin Cusack, 1953) is an Irish musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer best known as the longtime bassist and musical director of the rock band The Boomtown Rats. Briquette's career spans work with punk and new wave contemporaries and collaborations with artists across rock, pop and folk, contributing to recordings, tours and high-profile benefit projects.
Born in Dublin during the postwar period, Briquette grew up amid the cultural milieu that produced contemporaries in Irish rock and folk circles. He attended local schools where he encountered traditional Irish music alongside influences from British and American rock scenes, notably artists associated with Virgin Records, Island Records, and EMI. During adolescence he interacted with peers who later joined bands linked to the burgeoning punk and new wave movements, including musicians connected to Roxy Music, The Clash, and Sex Pistols-era networks. His formative musical exposure included radio broadcasts featuring acts on BBC Radio 1 and recordings circulated from studios such as Olympic Studios and Trident Studios.
Briquette joined The Boomtown Rats amid the mid-1970s explosion of punk and new wave, aligning with frontman Bob Geldof and bandmates who emerged from the London and Dublin scenes. As bassist and arranger he contributed to the group's early singles and albums released on labels linked to Columbia Records and Ensign Records, playing on charting records alongside peers from The Who-influenced rock lineage and contemporaries like Blondie and Talking Heads. During the band's commercial peak he participated in tours that intersected with festivals and venues associated with Wembley Stadium, Madison Square Garden, and CBGB-era circuits. Briquette's role expanded to include musical direction for studio sessions produced by figures tied to Mutt Lange-style production milieus and engineers linked to Abbey Road Studios.
When The Boomtown Rats joined high-profile benefit efforts in the 1980s, Briquette's experience with arranging and production placed him in collaborative lineups that involved artists affiliated with Live Aid, Band Aid, and other large-scale charity concerts. He continued with subsequent reunions and anniversary performances that connected the band to later generations of rock and pop acts associated with labels such as Universal Music Group and festival promoters like Glastonbury Festival organizers.
Outside the band, Briquette developed a résumé as a session musician and producer, working with prominent artists spanning genres. His production and arranging credits include studio work for Van Morrison, where sessions often convened musicians from the Fleetwood Mac-era networks and traditional Irish collaborators. He contributed bass lines, synth arrangements and production assistance on projects with Kate Bush, Neil Young-adjacent session musicians, and pop artists tied to the BBC broadcast ecosystem. Briquette's credits extend to collaborations with songwriters and performers who recorded for imprints such as A&M Records and Warner Bros. Records.
He also produced and arranged tracks for solo projects by members of his original scene, working alongside engineers and mixers who have credits on releases by U2, The Police, and other charting acts. Briquette participated in soundtrack sessions and charity singles connected to humanitarian campaigns associated with international organizations and celebrity benefit coalitions.
Briquette's playing blends the melodic sensibilities of rock and pop bassists with rhythmic drive common to punk and new wave. He is known for using Fender-style basses and vintage amplifiers in live contexts and employing synthesizers and keyboards during studio sessions, instruments often sourced from manufacturers used by contemporaries like Gary Numan and Depeche Mode. His arrangements reflect influences from The Beatles' melodic bass tradition, James Jamerson-inspired groove concepts, and textural approaches from art rock practitioners linked to Brian Eno and David Bowie's collaborator circles. As a producer he favors layered arrangements and analogue-era techniques associated with studios such as AIR Studios and producers with roots in Phil Spector-influenced methods.
Outside music, Briquette has been associated with peers active in philanthropic and political causes, collaborating on benefit recordings and public events that intersected with campaigns led by figures such as Bob Geldof and global humanitarian movements. His participation in high-profile charity singles and concerts connected him to networks of artists mobilizing for famine relief and other international causes, often coordinated with media entities like ITV and BBC Television for broadcast charity specials. Briquette has also maintained private ties within the Irish artistic community that includes actors and writers working with institutions such as Trinity College Dublin and cultural organizations promoting Irish arts abroad.
Pete Briquette's legacy is tied to The Boomtown Rats' impact on the late-1970s and 1980s rock landscape and his collaborative contributions across sessions and productions. His bass work and arrangements influenced musicians in subsequent Irish and British rock waves, with stylistic echoes in bands linked to Indie rock scenes and post-punk revivals that trace lineage through acts associated with Rough Trade Records and independent labels. Briquette's cross-genre collaborations, studio approaches and participation in landmark benefit events position him among a cohort of musicians whose careers bridged punk ethos and mainstream pop production, connecting him to a constellation of artists from Tom Petty to Paul McCartney-era session traditions.
Category:Irish bass guitarists Category:1953 births Category:Living people