Hardcore punk band from the early 1980s in California. They had a grim sense of humor and an aesthetic that matched it, often earning them spots on bills with other dark punk bands and gothic/deathrock shows of the era. They often played with early TSOL, as well as Christian Death.
Formed in San Francisco in 1979, Catholic Discipline soon moved to Los Angeles. Their founding lineup was Claude Bessy (editor, Slash Fanzine), Phranc (Nervous Gender) on guitar, Rick Brodey Morrison (husband to Patricia Morrison of The Bags and The Gun Club) on bass guitar. Robert Lopez of the Zeros, later known as El Vez, the Mexican punk Elvis, replaced original keyboardist Richard Meade, and in the drum seat former Bags member Craig Lee. In their short existence they never released anything official, but they became well known for their appearance in the groundbreaking documentary by Penelope Spheeris ‘The Decline Of Western Civilization’ (1980) along with The Germs, Black Flag, X, Fear and The Alice Bag Band.
Guitarist Kjehl Johansen with Kevin Barrett and John Jones co-founded punk band Urinals in 1978. They renamed as 100 Flowers (a reference to the Maoist campaign in 1950s China) in 1981 to signify a departure from their punk approach and went to a more progressive and post punk direction. They released two albums, one EP and appeared on the classic 1981 ‘Hell Comes To Your House’ deathrock-punk compilation album. After the Urinals reformed in 1996, they also put out a new album as 100 Flowers in 2019.
Known for their blistering anthem ‘Waiting For The War’, which was also their only officially released recorded output. Søren Johnsen and Karsten Hjarsø went on to UCR, Lars Top-Galia was in Sods/Sort Sol and Stig Pedersen formed Disneyland After Dark aka D.A.D.
Related: UCR, Sods, Sort Sol, Disneyland After Dark, D.A.D., Copenhagen, Denmark, 1980, Punk
Location: Los Angeles, California Active: 1981-1984
Los Angeles punk band from the early 80s fronted by Bobbi Brat (July 14, 1962 – † November 30, 1988). Taking the sound of fast thrash guitar that was becoming well known in California punk with bands like The Adolescents, D.I. and TSOL, Red Scare fronted by Bobbi Brat brought a bit of Vice Squad to the table. Though their material was punk, several songs such as ‘Dont Look In The Basement’ are the perfect addition to any gothic punk mix tape. They only released one LP, with a single on Posh Boy Records, but an anthology collection was released on Grand Theft Audio in 1995.
After a DIY tour, the band broke up. Bobbi Brat continued with a solo country influenced act Bobbi and the Boneyard Brats, but settled on just The Bobbi Brat Band. Though the band attempted to reform and record new material, Bobbi tragically passed away from cancer at the age of 26.
Related: The Adolescents, D.I., TSOL, Bobbi Brat, Vice Squad, Los Angeles, punk, California, Posh Boy Records
Play Dead was an early entry into what was becoming known as post punk and even gothic, with a much more rhythmic sound along the lines of what The Southern Death Cult and UK Decay were starting to develop. Initially a punk band, they quickly found their direction and released many singles (beginning on Fresh Records along with The Dark and UK Decay) and three albums in their relatively short existence. After they disbanded in 1986, founding members Rob Hickson and Pete Waddleton, guitarist Steve Green, were joined by Mich Ebeling of Look Back In Anger and formed Mankind’s Audio Development aka M.A.D.
Related: Oxford, UK, 1980, Punk, Gothic, The Dark,The Southern Death Cult, UK Decay, Rob Hickson, Pete Waddleton, Steve Green, Mich Ebeling, Look Back In Anger, Mankind’s Audio Development, M.A.D.
Antiworld formed in Portland in 1995, one of the few bands in the punk scene that actively incorporated gothic and horror elements into their aesthetic in a way that 45 Grave, early Damned and TSOL did, laying the groundwork for a deathrock revival in the 2000s, ushering in new waves of gothic bands with a punk approach and vice versa.
One of the very early bands to hit the metal music genres was New York’s Plasmatics, fronted by the legendary Wendy O. Williams. Taking the bombastic stage antics of Kiss and Alice Cooper and the no limits attitude, over-the-top speed and aggression of punk, The Plasmatics were a phenomenon all their own.
Related: Metal, New York, Plasmatics, Wendy O. Williams, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Punk
