Budgie

The Profile

Budgie are a Welsh hard rock/heavy metal power trio from Cardiff, formed in 1967 by Burke Shelley, Tony Bourge and Ray Phillips. Their early albums helped bridge hard rock and heavy metal, with noted tracks such as Breadfan and Parents. After an initial run ending in the late 1980s, they regrouped in the mid-1990s and released You’re All Living in Cuckooland in 2006.

Reviews highlight Budgie’s role linking 70s hard rock and heavy metal, their Cardiff roots, and their power-trio identity. Early work shares lineage with Black Sabbath (same producer/studios) and influenced later metal acts. Classic 70s albums include Budgie, Squawk, Never Turn Your Back on a Friend, and In for the Kill. Guitarist John Thomas replaced Tony Bourge leading into the heavier Power Supply era aligned with NWOBHM. The band reunited (noted in reviews as 1999) and issued You’re All Living in Cuckooland with Burke Shelley on vocals/bass, Simon Lees on guitar, and Steve Williams on drums.

Six DeBaser reviews chart Budgie’s arc from early-70s hard rock innovators to NWOBHM-adjacent heaviness and a late-career return. The writers praise the trio’s riff power, vocal character, and eclectic streak—from folk-tinged detours to progressive runs. Highlights include the foundational run through Squawk, Never Turn Your Back on a Friend, and In for the Kill, the heavier pivot of Power Supply, and the 2006 comeback. Overall sentiment: warmly appreciative of an underrated, influential Welsh band.