Rubella Ballet: Money Talks (Vinyl 12")
Rubella Ballet are a gothic punk band formed in 1979 known for their unique ultraviolet shows, wearing homemade Day-Glo clothes created by vocalist Zillah Minx. Rubella Ballet’s first gig supporting Crass and Poison Girls led to their own headline and support tours with the likes of Death Cult, The Damned, Faith No More, The Mission, Doctor and the Medics, Flux Of Pink Indians, Sex Gang Children, Conflict, Alien Sex Fiend and so many more.
Penny continues, “Rubella Ballet, ‘the one that got away’. Sid and Zillah, the key members of this progressively colourful outfit, are true punk warriors, indeed, they’re an unstoppable force. They’d have been released on Crass Records way before now but, back in the day, one of their other band members had a gripe with Crass, and put the mockers on it, so it never happened. But now, after the best part of fifty years, Crass Records are joyful to announce that Rubella Ballet are on board at last. Let the rainbows shower fairy dust on us all.”
Penny finally notes that “Our [Crass’s] interest was never in personalities, profits or power, and neither did we have time for reformist liberals. Our position was solidly revolutionary; we took no prisoners. Ours wasn’t a show, it was a battle, not a living, but a lifestyle, a lifestyle with a difference - rather than looking only to ourselves, we sought to share our gains. I feel that this willingness added great strength to the form of anarchism that we practiced both on stage and out on the street.”
In giving a platform to an impressive array of other bands, Crass Records broadened the front of what popularly became known as anarcho-punk. Not, it must be said, a moniker that Crass themselves much favoured. In this respect, Crass’s classic line, ‘There is no authority but yourself,’ makes its point. Crass sought to empower others, and the output of Crass Records does much to confirm this, while ‘2 By 2 And Back Again’ seems to nail it - ‘get out of your own way, we’re all in this together.’
- Money Talks
- False Promises