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| RUBELLA BALLET These young dayglo warriors would became the main nucleus and mainstay behind the biggest explosion of colour to hit the late 70's/early 80's bleakness of the UK punk scene. Rubella Ballet created that rare bright hue of primary dischord amongst the hordes of combat black. So put yer shades on coz its rainbow resonance from here on in! 1979 Rubella Ballet got together seriously in the summer of 1979 in East London around a nucleus of teenage punks Zillah Minx (b. 31 March 1961, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England), the pink haired chanteuse on vocals and her boyfriend Sid Ation (b. 18 April 1960, Sutton Coldfield, England) the 6ft 9" spiky giant powerhouse on drums. It was still the early days of punk and in case you wondered how they got their unusual moniker... "we was going to call ourselves Rubella Babies but we decided to change it to something meaningless.� And so the Rubella Ballet experience was christened. Zillah & Sid had met earlier at a Crass gig in 1979 before they started to live together in a house with Crass cohorts and long time touring partners the Poison Girls. Sid had previously worked as a chef under the now celebrity chef and resturanteur Brian Turner, but had lost his job & home. Zillah was a student. Other occupants in the Poison Girl household were Gemma & Dan (AKA Pete Fender) son & daughter of Vi Sub Versa (Poison Girls lead singer/guitarist) respectively. They were already in a band called Fatal Microbes along with Honey Bane and Scotty Boy Barker. �One night at a gig we the audience were told we could use the equipment so Sid played drums and Zillah sang for the first time using any one who wanted to play the guitars, we just made it up as we went along� thus sparking the bud of an idea to form an actual band in their own right. The Fatal Microbes record 'Violence Grows' had been released in late 1978 and was a big hit with John Peel playing it on his national Radio show which earned the Microbes plenty of press attention. However lead singer Honey Bane left the Fatal Microbes and went off to record with Crass before signing to EMI as a solo singer and later also acting in a stage play 'Scrubbers' which was later made into a film. This left the remaining Fatal microbes with out a vocalist and no bass guitarist coz Scotty Boy Barker disappeared too. So Zillah, Sid, Pete Fender & Gemma who had now moved to bass and lived in the same house began jamming together useing the Poison Girls equipment. Gem despite being only 12 and Pete Fender who wasn�t much older at 14 had already had in their short musical career a band with a great record out that earned them radio play. And now along with Zillah�s vision and Sid's rhythm they soon began crafting their own unique songs which ultimately became Rubella Ballet. Rubella Ballet were however at this prototype stage to have a constant flow of other members coming and going regularly over this formative period. Sid reckons that fourteen guitarists and eight bassists have at one time or another been through their ranks, so it was hit or miss like in most bands but they were all young and hungry and it was fun. Other early transient members included a who�s who of the underground Anarcho scene including Annie Anxiety and the strangely named "It" (AKA Quentin North). Anxiety became the lead singer, but when she dropped out, drummer Sid, suggested his girlfriend Zillah fill in the vacant vocalist position (at extremely short notice) and so the band were morphing at an alarming rate. An important note at this stage is Sid would also work start work with the brand new Flux Of Pink Indians (Ex-Epileptics) during this period and was responsible for giving em their chunky new heavy drum-based sound. He also wrote two of the tracks that would later appear on Flux's anthemic 'Neu Smell' EP released in the summer of '81. Which went onto sell over 50,000 copies. So lots of talent was already in evidence within their colourful ranks. However back in East London with a now stable line-up secured consisting of Zillah, Sid, Pete, and schoolgirl Gemma Stone. They made their official world debut at bottom of a fucking fantastic bill.... CRASS POISON GIRLS CHARGE RUBELLA BALLET Conway Hall Red Lion Square London WC1 Friday May 11th 1979 Rubella Ballet were about to gig as often as they could with such a young line-up from now on. And although they were very young indeed, they did manage it with some great support from coveted slots with the bigger guns of the popular Anarcho scene on numerous bills in and around the capital over the next 18 months. And with experience they secured gigs in their own right playing halls, youth clubs and the recently set up Anarchy Centre. They later toured Holland with the Poison Girls as well as sharing many bills with Crass on UK tours. What was unique about these kids was they sounded nothing like their elders or the hordes of other bands who formed in the wake of Crass. Rubella Ballet have a distinctive dismantled groove that would ignite comparisons to the Banshees and early, Antz but with a far less contrived approach. "Punk was massive we gigged nearly every night all over Britain, Europe and America for over 10 years and we all had a great time together. People appreciated the efforts of others, as it was so close to how they felt there was nothing else like punk and its ethics on the planet at that time. It was a time of great friendship and creativity, DIY was applied to every aspect of life. We also toured with The Cult ( when they were known then as Death Cult) We played in America with Faith No More and The Mission.� 1981 By November 1981 Rubella Ballet now with a strong set went into Heart And Soul recording studio with their latest line-up of the band which included... Zillah, Sid, Gemma and latest guitarist Andy, along with Eugene on Synth to record their debut release, the cassette only package 'Ballet Bag' - which included a C30 tape, a plastic re-sealable bag, badge, lyric book and Pink psychedelic poster. This debut would miraculously sell 3,500 copies, all lovingly put together by the band themselves. The cassette was released on the Poison Girls own label Xntrix in March 1982 and produced by Poison Girl Richard Famous. Xntrix financed the recording and had a distribution deal with East London�s Small Wonder label. It soon sold well miraculously selling 3,500 copies, all lovingly put together by the band themselves, which earned them the first of their 2 highly successful Peel sessions the first of which was recorded 9/5/82 and broadcast on 6/7/82. The John Peel radio show was the best shop window in the land for new bands and it reached every punk in the UK from the Scottish Hebrides right down to Lands End. 1982 As 1982 drew to a close they had toured England and Wales culminating with highly sucessfull headline appearance at the Brixton Ace Punk alldayer iin front of 2000 spiky punters. They released their follow up to �Ballet Bag� which was called 'Ballet Dance' EP again on the Xntrix label. This time it was on vinyl which would be their first vinyl outing. The 4 track EP included stage faves �Ballet Dance�, �Unemployed�, �Something To Give� and �Krak Trak� which also gained them some pretty good press and saw them reach the higher echelons of the UK Independent charts. 1983/84 The new year of 1983 started off great and bought them a second Peel Session Recorded 26/1/83 and broadcast 8/2/83. Again more favourable exposure was gained. Which wasn't bad for a band with no agent, no manager and no real record contract. They even toured Italy. However the bands sudden success couldn�t halt the line-up fluidity returning when Pete Fender returned and departed for the second time in the summer of 1983. Pete would go on to build his own studio, where he had already recorded and produced his solo single, "4 Formulas" as well as forming another highly rated act on the outskirts of the Anarcho set Omega Tribe who also toured on many Anarcho punk bills across the country. Pete was replaced with Sean. It was also during this period they launched themselves on their first major UK tour supporting the renamed Death Cult who were then just on the ascent to bigger things. On this tour Rubella Ballet were joined by Zhillah�s sister Rachel Minx (b. 12 November 1964, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England) on bass. They once again played in front of 2000 at the Brixton Ace in London. This line-up also recorded the highly successful '42f' 12 inch released in 1984 which saw Rubella Ballet again penetrating the top 5 of the independent charts. After gigging constantly they started gaining more frequent positive press exposure in music magazines such as Sounds and the NME as well as colour spreads in Punk glossys like Punk Lives and not forgetting the almost ever present frenzied fanzine favour. They also appeared on British TV Documentary 'Streetlife'. And headlined the prestigous Marquee Club in London. Along with a headline appearance in Paris plus they took part in a live radio Phone-in. Rubella Ballet were a band who kept it real unlike a lot of their contemporaries. No ego trips, no pop star histrionics which you have to admire. They often played for nothing or very little money. They were offered big label deals but refused them point blank, however with several guitarists passing through their ranks it wasn�t always easy to maintain the group ethic if you ain�t got a regular income. Bands don�t function on thin air. "We are 1976 punks our clothes reflect the early days of punk we were involved in. You could not buy punk clothes you created your own. Only a few rich punks or those that nicked got anything from the shop Sex /Seditionaries. Our clothes then and now we make as we go. Zillah has always been a day-glo fluorescent Punk, like Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex. Not all punks wear black. As for wanting to be different from the rest that�s why I became a punk, I am different from the rest. I also believe people are not colour blind to our lyrics and our punk/political stance.� 1985 In their time Rubella Ballet have recorded and released material for a variety of labels including the already mentioned Xntrix, along with Jungle and One little Indian run by Derek Birkett who was bassplayer in Flux Of Pink Indians. They appeared most recently on Underground Records Anarcho compilations. They don�t have very fond memories of some record labels with most giving the band a shitty deal or not reimbursing them with the proper funds. So like everything else in the Rubella Ballet school of thought they thought fuck that, and formed their own label. The curious sounding Ubiquitous Records was launched in the mid-80's. Ubiquitous which roughly translates as 'popular' was run with almost poetic irony from Zillah and Sid's 24th story flat situated funnily enough in the Poplar district of East London. It was a label which saw the release of enterprising singles like their mesmersiring latest release 'Money Talks' and the scary 'Artic Flowers'. They were now experimenting with video and filmed a promo video for 'Money Talks' which was filmed in and around their London Flat. It was picked up by a UK distributor and appeared on UK and European video jukboxes. They would eventually release three albums worth of material over the coming years via this truly autonomous outlet. Their debut 'At Last It's Playtime' was promoted with a tour of Britain and reached number 5 in the Independent album charts. A riot of fluorescent, dayglo pigments and childish imagery adorned their record sleeves and also their own attire. Which is the one aspect what made them stick out from day one. The band made their own loud designs which would be reflected in their stage presence and general outlook. But like most punk bands who were falling by the wayside towards the end of the 80's when punk was seen as a spent force by most or those who wasn't in it for the long run. And if left bands like Rubella Ballet struggling in the waning climate but with an equal determination and a passion to keep going. 1987/90 It wasn't all doom and gloom in the late 80's for Rubella Ballet. For 1987 saw a band highlight when Rubella Ballets primary coloured attack was taken to the US of A with one gig attracting 3,500 people. Their latest single 'Artic Flowers' and the album 'If' had made number one on LA's KXLU radio station and saw a sudden US interest in the band. They played their first and only set of dates there on an extensive 6 week tour during April/May. �Yea we would love to return to LA & SF we were there in 1987. We headlined The Scream, and played loads of other clubs we were supported at one club by Faith No More. We also supported the Mission in Long Beach but the gig was cancelled when The Mission were arrested. We also played Gilman Street in SF as we had gigged with The Dead Kennedy�s. We were in America for 6 weeks and had a brilliant time. We stayed at Loyola Marymount Uni. with Mike Ray as we were no 1 on his radio show. We did loads of radio shows.� Over the years the band have certainly clocked up some mileage playing in the UK, Holland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and America, taking their high energy, multicoloured punk to the world. Always standing out from the usual Anarcho scene for their refusal to sport the uniform black and adopt the 'correct' political postures it was fun but still hard work without financial backing. So after constant gigging in and around the alternative circuit and delivering what has now turned into a pretty substantial piece of recorded history they seemed to have reached their summit as the mid 90's approached the band seemed to bow out the punk limelight for a while as Rave took over the alternative circuit and punk took a very shabby backseat to this new wave of techno beats and acid! Sid had by now already been experimenting with electronic drums due to living in a block of flats where it can be very difficult to bash out on a regular drum kit without annoying the neighbours. So he started experimenting with drum beat technology. They were also by now collaborating with various members of the dance collective, Spiral Tribe, to create Xenophobia, an act they would showcase at various illegal raves. Zillah and Sid recorded a techno dance track for the compilation �Beyond The Threshold�, under the name Xenophobia, and subsequent singles also appeared under that title. 1999 However while Rave and Brit Pop were still kings in the UK music scene punk was still their main source of inspiration and lifestyle. And it was bought back into the limelight with an unexpected new resurgence in punk rock over in the States with bands like Green Day, Offspring and Rancid kicking off and paving the way for a whole new generation of kids who were curious about punk, its history and all its offshoots. �Around 1999 we started to be offered gigs again we asked previous guitarist and lots of other friends. At one point Michelle from Brigandage and her husband played guitars for us. Phil from Pain has been a constant help to us standing in as guitarist. But now he wants to concentrate on his own band, so we are again looking for a guitarist. Also because Paris has 2 children we are looking for a bass player as Paris cannot tour. This is why we can not always do many gigs. We headlined The Anti Society festival 2000 in the Czech Republic and Across the Decades 2 day punk festival @ The Sanctuary in Milton Keynes in 2000." This big event featured bands like The Damned, Stiff Little Fingers, Selector, Steve Ignorant and the Subhumans etc. This gig was filmed for posterity and will surface as a 1 hour film documentary. Other gigs of note include The standard and Metro Punk Aid dates. 2006 The core of Sid and Zillah still boldly carry on self-producing, self-managing and self-promoting the Rubella Ballet experience. Although not hugely active today, there have been rumblings emanating from East London way and more rare live appearances in London Christmas 2005. They also more recently played at Vi Subversas 70th birthday party at the Dragon Festival in Spain in March 2006, and are now on the lookout for new members! They are planning a new line-up to gigs with lots of other visual alternatives in and around the band. Their latest online appearance is the launch of their own MySPACE page which is inundated with hits from across the globe since it was launched confirming their popularity and appeal from a growing army of old and new fans alike. PRESENT At present Sid and Zillah are busy making a film, titled 'She's a Punk Rocker'. The 1 hour documentary is about women who became punks circa 1976, why they became punks, what it did for them, the DIY ethos of punk. And includes Interviews with Poly Styrene, Gay Advert, Bron & G Crass, Vi subversa, Helen of Troy, Caroline Coon, Michelle Brigandage, Ruth Hagar The Womb and many more. Zillah is the producer/director and Sid is the editor. �We have only recently started working on these projects at home as we have only recently bought the equipment. Previously for the last 10 years I have been making 'She's a Punk Rocker' in free down time at Spectacle studios in South London. We are also working with Steve Ignorant producing a DVD of his live gig plus interviews from Milton Keynes in 2000." Other projects they are involved in are... 'Day-Glo Daze' A 60 minute DVD featuring Rubella Ballet on celluloid. Poly Styrene has written a new song that we are recording together & making a promo DVD for. �Sid also writes music for adverts his most famous can be checked out on BBC late at night. Its an NHS educational sexullly transmitted disease Chlomidiya. The music is Sid�s he can also be seen in the advert as the DJ spinning his own track. " "We still need permanent guitarists who are willing to do all the gigs we are offered so we are auditioning now. We then hope to start touring Europe and America." WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Gem is a mum of 2 young girls under 4. She no longer is involved with RB but as her mum is Vi she knows what�s going on, Pete Fender her brother & Vi Subversa�s son is our guitarist still. He was unable to play Punk Aid as we were not getting paid and he was being paid to record a group in his studio. To contact the band themselves and hear their sounds and a load of other RB related sights and sounds go here.... WWW.MYSPACE.COM/RUBELLABALLET To contact this site please email [email protected] |
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