Frances Sokolov (20 June 1935 – 19 February 2016), better known by her stage name Vi Subversa, was the lead singer, lyricist and rhythm guitarist of British

anarcho-punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcor ...

band

Poison Girls The Poison Girls were an English anarcho-punk band from Brighton. The singer/guitarist, Vi Subversa, was a middle-aged mother of two at the band's inception, and wrote songs that explored sexuality and gender roles, often from an anarchist pe ...

. Subversa was born of

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

parents. She spent two years in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in the late 1950s working in a ceramic pottery in

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

under

Nehemia Azaz Nehemia Azaz ( he, נחמיה עזז), also Nehemiah, Henri or N H Azaz (9 October 1923 – 27 October 2008), was an Israeli sculptor, ceramicist and architectural artist, who spent half of his working life in the UK. Best known in Israel as found ...

, before returning to the United Kingdom. She had two children, Pete Fender (born Daniel Sansom, 1964) and Gem Stone (born Gemma Sansom, 1967), who both became members of the punk bands

Fatal Microbes Fatal Microbes were an English punk rock 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 ...

and

Rubella Ballet Rubella Ballet are an English 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 Ation (born Sid Truelove, 18 April 1960, Sutton ...

.Glasper, Ian (2006) ''The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980 - 1984'', Cherry Red Books, Subversa's first public performance was at The Body Show at

Sussex University , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil ...

in 1975. In 1979, at 44 years old and a mother of two, she released her first single with the Poison Girls. Her lyrics were written from a radical feminist punk perspective. She is featured in the documentary film ''She's a Punk Rocker''. Subversa's last musical venture was with the cabaret trio Vi Subversa's Naughty Thoughts, which she formed with Michael Coates and Judy Bayley. She played her final live performance with Naughty Thoughts at Brighton's Green Door Store on 5 December 2015, with

The Cravats The Cravats are an English punk rock band originally from Redditch, England, founded in 1977. The 'classic' line up of Robin Dallaway (vocals, guitar), The Shend (vocals, bass guitar), Svor Naan (saxophone) and Dave Bennett (drums) remained c ...

. Subversa's son Pete Fender announced on Facebook on 19 February 2016 that she had died, following a short illness.

References

External links

vi subversa - what a life
Official Poison Girls Website 1935 births 2016 deaths People from Brighton Anarcho-punk musicians Women punk rock singers Feminist musicians English women guitarists English Jews English anarchists Anarcha-feminists Jewish anarchists Jewish singers Musicians from London British Ashkenazi Jews British expatriates in Israel Jews in punk rock English feminists 20th-century English women singers 20th-century English singers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Radical feminists English punk rock guitarists {{UK-singer-stub