Melbourne Music Scene Icon Bo Passes Away

An Influential figure of the Melbourne music scene throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, Robert ‘Bo’ Boehm died this morning at the age of 55.

Boehm’s close friends have confirmed to theMusic.com.au that after long battles with heart conditions and having spent most of last week in a hospital intensive care unit, Boehm passed away this morning.

Better known as ‘Bo’, Boehm was influential in the shaping of the Melbourne music scene that had just seen new wave pass through. With his Screaming At The Mirror compilations Bo championed an alt-rock sound that had its roots in the indie and post-goth sounds of the ‘80s, helping build the careers of bands like The Mavis’s and indeed his own band Clowns Smiling Backwards. He was also one half of Winduptoys with Jeremy Smith.

Bo moved into live production in the ‘90s across Empress Of India, The Tote and Punters Club venues and helped craft the sound of many a young band as well as working with the scene’s biggest names – Magic Dirt, Pray TV and Powder Monkeys.

In 2006 Bo suffered a heart attack after playing a set with Winduptoys at the Northcote Social Club. He’d been due to do the live sound for Dandelion Wine’s CD launch later that night and it was to be his last live production role due to ongoing heart problems.

“Bo’s impact on the Melbourne scene is so big it’s impossible to calculate – from fuzzed up guitar noise to out there electronica, from psychedelic to industrial, Bo loved and worked with all of it,” Dandelion Wine’s Nick Albanis told theMusic.com.au today. “He made it all sound great and frequently backwards, cut up and mangled.

“On top of all of that, he was the kindest and most generous person you could hope to meet. Bo you will be missed.”

Bo’s other interests included Giggle Records and he was active in the Clan Analogue collective.