Fatal Microbes were an English

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band formed in 1978. The main line-up of the band consisted of Honey Bane on vocals, Gem Stone on drums, Pete Fender on guitar and Scotty Barker on bass. The band's name is regarded as a reference to the theme of disgust and toxicity, explored and embraced by many punk rock acts in the late 1970s and early 1980.

History

In 1979 Small Wonder and XNTRIX Records co-released a split 12-inch EP entitled "Violence Grows", which also featured the Epping-based Poison Girls (whose singer, Vi Subversa, was also mother to Gem Stone and Pete Fender). In the same year Fatal Microbes released a 7-inch single featuring "Violence Grows" on the punk rock record label

Small Wonder Records Small Wonder Records was a British independent record label owned and managed by Pete and Mari Stennett, that specialised in releasing records by punk rock and post-punk bands. It operated out of a record shop of the same name at 162 Hoe Stree ...

. The single was championed by British DJ and radio presenter

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

. Honey Bane later had a career as a solo artist, a film and stage actress and a model. Pete Fender subsequently went on to form

Rubella Ballet Rubella Ballet are an English Gothic rock, gothic anarcho-punk band formed in 1979, who released several albums before splitting up in 1991. They reformed in 2000. History The band was formed by drummer Sid Truelove (born Grant Carol, 18 April ...

with Gem Stone (bass) and Sid Ation (drums). Fender later released a 7-inch EP, "Four Formulas", under his own name on XNTRIX records. Fender and ‘It’ had formed the band Punktuation in 1977. With an average age of 13 years, they were amongst the youngest punk bands in the country at the time. Scott Barker went on to become a founding member of the legendary 'Old Reenies' (sometimes spelt 'Ol Rene's') with former Sods front man Kevin Jones and former No Warning guitarist Martin Brown. Scott Barker now lives in Spain and continues to perform. The band's songs were included in the compilation album for '' Rip It Up and Start Again'' compilation released in 2006 through

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music and V2 Benelux; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007, sold to PIAS in 2013 and partially acquired by Universal in 2022 (as part of larger PIAS 49% ...

Former members

;Main line-up * Honey Bane – vocals * Gem Stone (Gemma Sansom) – drums * Pete Fender (Dan Sansom) – guitar * Scotty Boy Barker (Scott Barker) – bass ;Other former members * It (Quentin North) – bass

Discography

;Singles * "Violence Grows" (1979; split single with Poison Girls) * "Violence Grows b/w Beautiful Pictures + Cry Baby" (Small Wonder Records 1979)

References

External links

* English punk rock groups English post-punk music groups English musical quartets Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1979 {{UK-rock-band-stub