Specimen are a British band founded in the 1980s. Their music has been described as spanning many different genres of music, including glam, goth,

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

, and the band is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the goth subculture, both musically and stylistically.

Early days

The band was formed in 1981 in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

, England by vocalist Olli Wisdom with guitarists Jon Klein (from

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (20 ...

) and Kevin Mills (from the X-Certs). Their first show was at a street party celebrating the wedding of

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

and

Lady Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her a ...

. In 1982, the band relocated to

Soho, London Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

, where Wisdom founded the infamous

Batcave The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal ...

weekly club-night.

Ian Astbury Ian Robert Astbury (born 14 May 1962) is an English singer, best known as a founding member, lead vocalist and frontman of the rock band the Cult. During various hiatuses from the Cult, Astbury has fronted the short-lived Holy Barbarians in ...

described the band's unique hybrid of punk and glam: "Specimen were very dark, but they were as much German as they were The Addams Family. They were like a Death Bowie." When approached by Wisdom and asked to join Specimen, original keyboardist Jonny Slut initially declined because he could not play any instruments. Wisdom insisted and Slut eventually learned to play the keyboard by utilizing guiding stickers. Sporting what would become known as deathhawk hair, Jonny Slut proved no less photogenic than frontman Olli himself in mascara and black lace. While the band were together, they never released a full album, only singles and a mini album. However, in 1997, two full-length compilations were released featuring various Specimen songs. In 1985, the original Specimen lineup broke up after the release of the ''Sharp Teeth Pretty Teeth'' single. Olli Wisdom moved to San Francisco, California, USA and formed a short-lived American version of Specimen.

Post-Specimen

After the band went its separate ways, guitarist Jon Klein worked with

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. Q (maga ...

for seven years, before working with

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, '' The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want Wha ...

. He was also in the British 1998 film ''Married 2 Malcolm'' in a non-speaking role. Jonny Slut formed Diskord Datkord with

Mark Tinley Mark Ty-Wharton (born Mark Tinley; 18 March 1963) is a British music technologist, informal logician and public speaker who specialises in presentations using sound art. He is best known for his work as a guitarist, programmer, sound engineer and ...

and

Adam Tinley Adam Paul Tinley (born 4 December 1967), known professionally as Adamski, as well as Sonny Eriksson, is an English DJ, musician, singer and record producer, prominent at the time of acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") ...

before going on to work with

the KLF The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band formed in London in 1987. Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) began by releasing ...

Adamski Adam Paul Tinley (born 4 December 1967), known professionally as Adamski, as well as Sonny Eriksson, is an English DJ, musician, singer and record producer, prominent at the time of acid house for his tracks "N-R-G (Adamski song), N-R-G" and "K ...

and is now a member of Atomizer. He also founded the

Nag Nag Nag Nag Nag Nag was an influential London club night at Simon Hobart's Ghetto nightclub. Founded by DJ, promoter and musician Jonny Slut in 2002, it ran for six years. The night is commonly associated with the ambisexual post-electroclash scene. His ...

club-night in London, where he was one of the house DJs. Tim Huthert went on to join Until December, and more recently played with the re-formed Jetboy as well as recording the Electric Ballroom album with Jon Klein. He currently resides in New York. Olli Wisdom went on to produce psychedelic trance music under the name

Space Tribe Oliver John Wisdom (8 March 1958 – 23 August 2021) was a British Goa and psy trance musician, and clothing producer, who lived in London. From the 1990s he recorded under the name Space Tribe. Early life and education Olli Wisdom was the eld ...

. Kevin Mills joined

Flesh for Lulu Flesh for Lulu were an English rock band formed in Brixton, London, England, active between 1982 and 1992. They reformed from 2013 to 2015 with a new lineup. Initially part of the post-punk scene, the band's sound shifted to reflect influenc ...

Specimen today

In July 2008, the original 1983 line up got together to perform at the Batcave's 25th anniversary event in London, resulting in the release of the live album ''Specimen Alive at the Batcave'' on Metropolis. The reunion grew directly out of friendships rekindled during the making of 2007's ''Electric Ballroom'' album, which featured T.bias, Kimba, Stephan Byron-Salit, and Tim Huthert, as well as Jon Klein collaborations with Olli Wisdom and Jonny Slut. In February 2009, Jonny Slut and Jon Klein appeared at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It ...

(

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

) for the symposium 'Subculture and Style' during the exhibition for the book ''Gothic Dark Glamour'' by Valery Steele and Jennifer Parks. The exhibition featured one of Jon Klein's 25-year-old stage outfits, alongside

Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashi ...

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer from Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the creat ...

and

Rick Owens Richard Saturnino Owens (born November 18, 1962) is an American fashion designer from Porterville, California. In addition to his main line, Owens has a furniture line and a number of diffusion lines. Early life and education Richard Saturnino ...

. In May 2011, the band confirmed via Facebook that Jonny Slut had officially retired from Specimen. In December of the same year, they announced the addition of Johann Bley, ex-

Juno Reactor Juno Reactor is a multi-national musical and performing group, primarily based in Brighton, UK. Known for their cinematic fusion of electronic, global influences, and orchestral symphonic approach, collaborating with composer Don Davis and compo ...

, was to replace Slut on keyboard. In December 2011, the band announced that they were working with producer and

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass). Their first album, '' Killing Joke'', was released ...

bassist

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Y ...

on a new album. The following month, they revealed its name – ''Wake the Dead'' – and launched a Pledgemusic campaign to help fund the album for release in 2013.

Band members

;Current members * Jon Klein – guitar, vocals *Johann Bley – keyboards *Kev Mills – bass, backing vocals *Chris Bell – drums ;Former members * Olli Wisdom – vocals (died August 2021) * Jonny Slut – keyboards, backing vocals *T.bias – vocals *Kimba – bass *Stephan Byron-Salit – guitar, backing vocals *Tim Huthert – drums *Jonathan Trevisick – drums *Peter Cook – keyboards *Danny Pepworth – drums *George Lynch – bass, backing vocals *Smeg – guitar *Gere Fennelly – keyboards *Naunton – drums *Simeon – keyboards *Jonny Slag – bass *Jeff St. Pierre – drums

Discography

Albums

*''Electric Ballroom'' (2007),

Metropolis Records Metropolis Records is a record label founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pen ...

*''Wake the Dead'' (2013)

Compilations

*''Warm Wet Cling – Film Red Velvet Crush'' (1997) *''Azoic'' (1997)

Live albums

*''Alive at the Batcave (2009)'', Metropolis Records/Eyeswideshut Recordings

Singles & EPs

References

External links

Band Myspace pageJon Klein of Specimen talks about the legendary Batcave, the band's reunion and their first ever actual albumSpecimen – ''Wake the Dead'' on Pledge Music
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Specimen (band) 1981 establishments in England 1985 disestablishments in England English glam rock groups English gothic rock groups English new wave musical groups Metropolis Records artists Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1985 Musical groups from Bristol Sire Records artists