Poison Girls preforming at the squatted Zig Zag Club in London, 18th December 1982

The Poison Girls were a British anarcho-punk band. The female singer/guitarist, Vi Subversa, was a middle-aged mother of two at the band's inception, and wrote songs that explored sexuality and gender roles, usually from an anarchist perspective. The original Poison Girls line-up also included: Lance D'Boyle (drums); Richard Famous (guitar/vocals); Nil (bass/electric violin); and Bernhardt Rebours (bass/synthesiser/piano).

History

Poison Girls formed in Brighton, UK in 1976, before moving to Burleigh House in Essex, near to Dial House, the home of fellow anarchist band Crass, with whom they worked closely for a number of years, playing over 100 gigs with the band. In 1979 they revived the peace movement by playing a number of benefit gigs with Crass and paying for the production of the first CND badges since CND's heyday. Again in 1979, and again with Crass, they proved influential to the establishment of the short lived Wapping Anarchist Centre by contributing the track "Persons Unknown" to a split single with Crass (who contributed "Bloody Revolutions") and raising over £10,000. Their song "Bully Boys", an attack on violent machismo led to the band being blacklisted by the left-wing Socialist Workers Party and, ironically, attacked by members of the National Front both convinced it was an attack on them. The band also set up the label X-N-Trix alongside a publishing arm for the Impossible Dream magazine and recording studios for other artists.

Though their last studio recording to date was in 1985, a number of Poison Girls compilations have since been released, and their songs frequently appear on punk anthologies.

Poison Girls were involved with the production of Aids — The Musical, through a company called The Lenya Hobnoobs Theatre Company. They did another show called Mother Russia was a Lesbian in 1992, and reunited for a show at the London Astoria II in 1995, celebrating the 60th birthday of Vi Subversa. Currently, Richard Famous works as a painter and decorator. Vi Subversa lives in Spain. The pair have performed as That Famous Subversa, a cabaret act they did together before the Poison Girls.

Discography

• "Closed Shop/Piano Lessons" (X-N-Trix Records, 1979, split 12" single with Fatal Microbes)
• Hex (X-N-Trix, 1979, re-released on Crass Records, 1981)
• "Persons Unknown" (Crass Records, 1980, joint single with Crass as a benefit to raise funds to start an Anarchist Centre)
• Chappaquiddick Bridge (Crass Records, 1980)
• All Systems Go! (Crass Records, 1981)
• Total Exposure (live LP) (X-N-Trix, 1981)
• Where's the Pleasure? (X-N-Trix, 1982)
• One Good Reason (Illuminted Records, 1983)
• Are You Happy Now? (Illuminated Records, 1983)
• I'm Not A Real Woman(X-N-Trix, 1984)
• Seven Year Scratch (X-N-Trix, 1984, double compilation from previous releases plus live material)
• Songs of Praise (1985, features cover artwork by Clifford Harper)
• "The Price of Grain" (1985)
• Statement- The Complete Recordings (Cooking Vinyl, 1995, 4 CD boxed set with accompanying lyric and history booklets)

External links

• cookingvinyl.com
• On-line discography
• Lyrics to all their songs, plus some mp3s