By Lisa Ramsden
Tributes have poured in following the death of punk legend Petesy Burns. The well-known artist passed away at his home along Newcastle’s King Street on 1 January. A celebration of his life takes place this morning (Wednesday) at Roselawn Cemetery.
The gifted guitarist and songwriter, who has been described as ‘the true godfather of punk’, is best known for his involvement with a number of punk bands across Northern Ireland, including Belfast outfit, The Outcasts. In addition to his musical prowess, Petesy was a skilled Tai Chi instructor and, in 2024, co-authored a book, ‘A Job Well Done’, which tells the story of Newcastle man John Toner, who carved out a highly successful career in the hospitality industry.
Born in Belfast in 1962, on leaving school Petesy qualified as a mechanical engineer, but chose to pursue his passion for music instead. In the mid-1980s, Petesy helped form The Belfast Youth and Community Group/Belfast Musicians Collective. The group went on to provide music-related resources for unemployed and low-waged young people from in and around Belfast. Giros, as the social centre was affectionately known, ran from 1986 until 2003.
From that time, Petesy concentrated on his newfound passion, Tai Chi, and from 1996 until as recently as last September had been teaching it locally. Mr Burns also had a brush with acting, and was known for his roles in ‘Good Vibrations’, which was released in 2012 and chronicled Terri Hooley’s life, a record store owner who was instrumental in developing Belfast’s punk rock scene. In addition, he featured in ‘The Day the Country Died’, a documentary which was released in 2007 and, through interviews with major players in the anarchist-punk movement, explored the evolution of the genre.
Petesy’s good friend and fellow punk enthusiast, Richie Duprey, shared his precious memories of his time with Petesy over the years. “Petesy lived exactly how a punk should… provoking deep conversation, standing steadfast in his beliefs, showing immense empathy for those facing hardship and, more importantly, taking a stand to prevent said hardship from happening,” he recalled. “Petesy was an approachable soul who people naturally gravitated towards and who left you feeling uplifted after conversing with him. Petesy was a man who not only helped shape the punk scene but also helped shape a local community.”
Whilst known in music circles for his involvement with bands including Belfast outfit The Outcasts and Stallag 17, Petesy, on a more local level, was very well known for his Tai Chi lessons, including sharing videos during the pandemic, with Newcastle’s seafront as his picturesque backdrop. He was also involved in promoting the arts locally, through the likes of Castlewellan’s Soma Festival, in addition to the Winterfest arts festival which was held in Newcastle.
Many dozens of tributes have been posted online, with people speaking with great warmth and affection for Petesy. A spokesperson for The Soma Festival described him as “an absolute gentleman of the highest order and a wonderful friend whose energy, kindness, and laughter we will never forget”. They added: “A legend has crossed over, and our hearts are heavy in his wake. Our thoughts are with Anthea, Caoimhe, Oran, Brenda and his entire family circle at this incredibly difficult time. Rest in power, Petesy.”
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