Sex Gang Children
This London based post punk/gothic band were briefly in vogue in the early '80s. They were built around vocalist Andi Sex Gang, who talked himself into support slots for which he needed to quickly assemble a new band. He eventually settled on Dave Roberts (bass), Terry McLeay (guitar) and Rob Stroud (drums), who played their first gig under the name Panic Button. The name Sex Gang Children was lifted from a William Burroughs book and was actually on a list of names that fellow King's Road fashion victim Boy George was toying with. It later transpired that Boy George had in turn taken it from Malcolm McLaren's original suggestion for a monicker for the band which would become Bow Wow Wow. By 1982 a number of bands in the same mould began breaking through in the capital. Their first vinyl release was a 12-inch titled Beasts, produced by Nicky Garrett (ex- UK Subs), after which Tony James ( Generation X, future Sigue Sigue Sputnik) began to take an interest in the band. Their most fondly remembered release, Into The Abyss closed 1982 with their debut long player arriving early the next year. The single lifted from it, Sebastiane, featured Jinni Hewes from Marc And The Mambas on violin. Andi then performed a debut with Marc Almond (The Hungry Years) for the compilation THE WHIP, which also included a contribution from Roberts’ other band Car Crash International. Stroud left to join Pink And Black (featuring future All About Eve bass player Andy Cousins), and was replaced by Nigel Preston (ex- Theatre Of Hate). He stayed long enough to record the single Mauritia Mayer, before he took part in a bizarre ‘drummers’ swop with Ray Mondo of Death Cult. Events took a further strange turn when the latter was deported back to Sierra Leone for passport irregularities after a USA tour. Roberts also departed, leaving Andi and McLeay to recruit Cam Campbell (bass), and Kevin Matthews (drums). However, only one single, Deiche, was released before the band disintegrated and Andi set out on a solo career.