Thursday 9 February 2017

Fatal Microbes / Honey Bane - "The Singles Collection" (1979 - 1982)"






My late suicided childhood buddy(Tomo), who sold me his punk records for cheap when he went Northern Soul because 'Punk' had gone 'commercial';had a copy of The Fatal Microbes "Violence Grows" glued to the ceiling of his bedroom (his attempt at aesthetics I guess?) ; along with a few other singles/ceiling tiles I expressed a desire to purchase. I got 'Jocko Homo' by Devo on Stiff, 'Do the Standing Still' by The Table, "Sick Of You" by the Users, and Some Chicken's classic "New Religion/Blood on the Wall", both of them on original Raw Records. 10 new pence each secured me all these damaged goods along with the work of genius that is the 'Violence Grows EP'.
The Devo, Users and Some Chicken disc's were undamaged, except a bit of glue on the labels
But The B-side of the Fatal Microbes EP was unplayable due to the evo-stik in the grooves used to stick it to the ceiling. 
'Violence Grows'however, shone like a waxy leaf in a Saharan oasis. One of the best 10p's I ever spent.
I never heard the two tracks on the reverse until twenty years later, and I wasn't disappointed.
Obviously the Session musicians used on side one were not utilized for these two tracks, exposing the wonderful naivety of the music, as played by The Poison Girls' middle-aged leader Vi Subversa's kids; Gem Stone(15) and Pete Fender(14) (both later of the incredibly tasteless 'Rubella Ballet'). If these kids were born to anyone else, they would have probably listened to Disco music and gone to do a B-Tec at Polytechnic. A proud testament to the need for a sound parental influence....even if it was an Anarcho-Hippie one.

The lead singer of 'Fatal Microbes' was none other than 14 year old super-chav punkette, Honey Bane. Who went on to record another classic single for Crass Records, the "You Can Be You EP".Largely helped by various Crass members; who i hope kept their filthy hippy hands to themselves while in the presence of this vulnerable young lady.She was the victim of many a lecherous 'Punk' Svengali after Fatal Microbes split up,and whilst on the run from the Social Services; including ex-jonathan King buddy Jimmy Pursey (he used to attend King's Disco's/Hop's for kids in the mid-70's, where the despicable convicted peadophile committed the majority of his crimes;it wouldn't surprise me if the impressionable Jimmy didn't get a severe sodomising in return for showbiz perks?). Patrik Fitzgerald is in print admitting to such line crossing indulgence's....hopefully after Honey turned 16!
(We're Still waiting for Operation Yew Tree to turn their ruthless spotlight onto Pop music...Macca,Jimmy Page,Wyman...they're just the obvious ones.The jails won't be big enough)
As wonderful as Bane's first two Singles were, once Pursey took her under his wing it became some reprehensible attempt to be a new 'Toyah', but without Wilcox's obvious intelligence.Incredibly terrible new wave disco of the worst possible kind.
To know what a terrible mistake it was to have a post Sham 69 Pursey holding the final word in creative control,watch the YouTube clip of this secretly middle class stage school 'Punk' fake, doing some contemporary dance on a BBC2 arts show in 1981....(PLEASE CLICK HERE!YOU WON'T REGRET IT)....;a real working class yob ,Billy Connolly ,was also a guest on the show, and he exhorted to young James after his little dance; "What the fucking hell were you doing?????!"
Well I apologise for the majority of the shit on the Honey bane Singles Collection, but its worth it for the first six tracks;"Turn Me On, Turn Me Off" isn't too awful, in a cheesy kind of way I suppose.Ironically the phrase written in ransom note lettering cliché style,and printed on the back of the Crass records EP,namely: "And a big Piss Off to the Music Biz".....soon afterwards became 'Please make me into a minor new wave star please music biz,I'll do anything!!!'
This pathetic hypocrisy was not uncommon in those days.

TRACK LISTING:


Fatal Microbes:
Violence Grows
Beautiful Pictures
Cry Baby


Honey Bane:
Girl On The Run
Porno Grows
Boring Conversations
Guilty
Guilty Dub
Turn Me On Turn Me Off
In Dreams
Negative Exposure
Ain't Nobody's Business
Baby Love
Mass Production
Jimmy Listen To Me
Jimmy Listen To Me (alt Mix)
Wish I Could Be Me
Childhood Prince

8 comments:

rex said...

that "the table" single was awesome. still one of my favorite tracks. still waiting for the album! what ever happened to them? xtc junior, only better.

Jonny Zchivago said...

Certainly couldn't fault The Table for their attitude;they did not own any instruments, refused to tour, and stated that they were not a "real" band and had no future in the music industry. Despite being signed to Virgin Records on the strength of their demo of this tune and released it as a single. Probably the first post-punk single? Then they disappeared after a second single.....very admirable.

Fernando said...

Hi Jonny,
I haven't written here for a while (I'm always lazy to open my google account). I've been reading the recent anarcho-posts. Yes RP are great!
Well this is to thank you for this collection. I've been collecting sides of the singles for a while and some were still missing and ¡hola! here it is, my dream collection. So, thank you very much!

And yes, I've read about the horrible songs Donna / Honey Bane recorded with Jimmy but gotta hear for myself.

¡Saludos!

Fernando :)

the saucer people said...

I can still remember being an open mouthed shocked 13/14 year old watching Pursey cavorting around on the BBC2 yoof programme Riverside first time around back in 82 - I had a brief flirtation with Sham 69 three years earlier, pestering my parents to buy me their Hersham Boys album - it was a memorable childhood Christmas day, subjecting the relatives to the bonus 12 inch of Borstal Breakout - but no, definitely one of those bands I am embarrassed to ever admit to liking.

I never knew Jimmy was a regular at the JK seventies kiddie fiddler discos - it certainly brings a whole new dimension to his constant 'doing it for da kidz' rants.

Anyway, many thanks for the Fatal Microbes/Honey Bane compilation - the first six tracks are amongst the finest anarcho-punk ever conceived with Violence Grows obviously at the top.

Actually, I was an anarcho-punk teenage runaway, put in care homes then Detention Centre so I've always had a bit of an affinity for Ms Bane up to the Guilty/Guilty Dub single which I always thought was rather splendid - but after that it was definitely all downhill, culminating in the horror that was Baby Love - then again, I'm sure we all have things we did in the eighties that we would rather forget - luckily there was no social fucking media back then to permanently document the evidence!

Jonny Zchivago said...

Yeah, well i fancied lots of dodgy celeb birds back then,and now looking back they were all ropey as fuck...including Honey Bane.
As for Sham 69,I remember tossing up to see whether i buy The Adverts 1st LP or 'Tell us the truth' by sham....it came down tails....yep, i bought sham 69's debut.....in those poor days if you bought a record you played it even if you didn't like it....and play it until you did like it. And like it I did, and still do.....know every word.
But, when they started doing concept albums like 'Thats Life', with bits of grange hill style acting inserted between the songs, that was it for me....then noting until the contemporary dance debacle.OMFG!
I didn't do anything embarrassing in the 80's, I left that until the 90's.May have been seen dancing!!!!....but not like Pursey.

/][/ said...

I love her 'art films' of later milking years. ☻

On a side note do you think we should make a rule or law to limit how often I am allowed to write or comment on posts here on die or diy maybe? I think it may be for the greater good and for like well health and shit. You feel me handsome?

Jonny Zchivago said...

Keep commenting please, I enjoy your writing anti-style.....won't say more than that I have a hangover.

Wedge said...

Well, I've been constipated for 4 days and that Pursey video finally loosened me up and I deleted the "Borstal Breakout" 45 from my discogs want list whilst sitting on the toilet. I knew there was a reason I sold it years ago and I have a reminder why I don't need it again. Thank you for your service.