Vi Subversa, most famously known as the singer of punk band Poison Girls died yesterday aged 80. She was an extraordinary figure in the anarchist punk scene of the late 70s/early 80s, not least because of her age which to me, being a teenager at the time left a deep impression. Along with a few others the fact that she was older than my parents gave me hope for humanity. Silly teenage thinking of course but once imprinted, a first impression can outwit rationality for ever. Her lyrics were amongst the first femenist writings I'd ever heard and put some substance to the sense of injustice towards women and the ridiculous attitudes of men that was growing within me.
I played a few gigs with Poison Girls - shambolic shoestring affairs but positive, friendly and a whole lot of fun. A great but very precarious part of my life in which I was in very poor shape due to drug addiction but the bands we played with were very kind to me and often tried to help even though I was just one of many thousands of kids they must have interacted with. Politics to me isn't just about knowing your history and organising, it also must involve caring for and helping out those around us. Maybe the bands of this scene weren't so hot with the former but they fucking smashed it with the latter.
There's no need to bring up the old Anarcho punk was shit arguments here. How sound her understanding of anarchism was matters not either. The fact is that this was a women that dedicated her life to spreading the word about anarchism and femenism and that should be heartily respected and applauded.
Vi was still gigging a few weeks ago so she really did stick with it to the very end. Good work comrade and goodbye.
Sad, she was a good egg.
Sad, she was a good egg.
Very sad news, condolences to
Very sad news, condolences to you Noah and others who knew her personally
One of the first anarchopunk
One of the first anarchopunk records I heard, and the only one I still listen to...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb3hrSSSCQI
This, I think, was her last
This, I think, was her last performance,
[youtube]Bm0JoJY56KQ[/youtube]
She and the Poison Girls
She and the Poison Girls talked on Women's issues and War from a different angle and they were very original.Respect and condolences.
the button wrote: One of the
the button
Those reverberating chords at the start and that song affected me greatly when I heard it.It reminded me of the Winter of Discontent and conspiratorial subterfuge with the words encouraging the courageous act of making a link with strangers and breaking the isolation.Classic tune.
I couldn't stomach Crass but
I couldn't stomach Crass but the Poison Girls I liked. I never heard them often but they didn't sound self-righteous unlike their label mates.
Poison Girls formed in 1976
Poison Girls formed in 1976 at the beginning of punk and were the first band of that era to describe themselves as anarchists, and thus predate Crass. Vi Subversa was a champion of feminist issues - as a single mother growing up after the War she was only too aware of the abuse of women. Punk offered Vi an outlet for her deeply personal and powerfully political commentary and yet the music the band played could rarely be described as punk. I think these are the reasons why the band's music has remained accessible, inspirational and popular for so long. The Poison Girls recently released a 12in single with their anthem "Persons Unknown" (related to the Persons Unknown trial during the Angry Brigade years) and the powerful "Statement". A friend approached her recently when she had returned from Spain with the idea of a biography but Vi didn't want to be involved in any rock 'n' roll nostalgia, she would rather a book be written on women's struggle in the aftermath of WW2. Condolences to Gem and Pete and her family and friends.
An awesome lady, she will be
An awesome lady, she will be missed.