Biography
Rubella Ballet from England ranked among the brightest acts tied to the anarchist punk and gothic rock movements. Their sound delivered tense, paranoid textures alongside urgent lyrics that tackled political and emotional concerns, yet the band rejected any dark or overbearing visual identity. They chose instead to wear hand-designed Day-Glo clothing and deployed smoke machines with strobe lights to generate psychedelic light shows at their concerts. Their recordings likewise avoided a single hue by folding in synthesizers and samples while testing funk and dance rhythms. Loyal to punk’s D.I.Y. principles, they declined contracts from major labels and issued much of their catalog on their own Ubiquitous Records imprint.
Guitarist Pete Fender and bassist Gem Stone, both offspring of Poison Girls’ Vi Subversa, launched Rubella Ballet in 1979 together with drummer Sid Attion and his partner Zillah Minx. Womble and Annie Anxiety served as vocalists in an early lineup, though Minx assumed lead vocals once Anxiety withdrew abruptly. While residing with Attion at the Poison Girls’ home, Minx used the band’s gear to rehearse and compose. The group made their first stage appearance at a Crass show when the headliners invited audience members to create music on the spot, then continued performing with a rotating cast and frequently shared bills with Poison Girls and Crass despite clear differences in style and presentation.
By the end of 1981 the lineup had stabilized around Minx, Attion, Stone, guitarist Andy Smith, and synthesizer player Eugene Crowley. They recorded their debut release Ballet Bag, issued on cassette by Poison Girls’ Xntrix label. The tape sold more than 3,000 copies and drew the notice of legendary DJ John Peel, who invited Rubella Ballet to record their first Peel Session. After relentless touring and the 7" EP Ballet Dance, which reached the Top Ten of the U.K. Independent Singles chart, the band taped a second Peel Session in 1983. Following U.K. dates with Death Cult, the group—now featuring Zillah’s sister Rachel Minx on bass—cut the 42f 12" EP, which also charted on the indie lists.
Even while appearing in music magazines and headlining shows for thousands, Rubella Ballet upheld their principles by performing and recording strictly on their own terms. They established Ubiquitous Records in 1985 and released debut LP At Last It’s Playtime plus the non-album single “Money Talks” that same year. These were followed by the second album If and another standalone single, “Arctic Flowers,” in 1986. Cocktail Mix (1987) gathered Ballet Bag and Ballet Dance onto LP, and the band completed their first American tour that year, including dates with Faith No More and the Dead Kennedys. The Ballet’s Birthday Box (1988) collected material from their seventh-anniversary concert and the U.S. trek. Brave Records put out the CD compilation Rubella Ballet’s Greatest Trips and the proper album At the End of the Rainbow in 1990, after which the group disbanded. Attion, now using the name Sid Truelove, and Minx shifted toward rave music and formed Xenophobia with MC Skallywag of freetekno pioneers Spiral Tribe. The project issued several EPs, and the 1992 breakbeat hardcore track “Rushing the House” became a hit once Kickin Records picked it up.
In 2000 Rubella Ballet reunited for a punk festival performance alongside the Damned, Stiff Little Fingers, Steve Ignorant of Crass, and others. Sid and Zillah kept the band active with a mix of new and returning members, though they played less often than during the 1980s. Overground Records issued Anarchy in the U.V. in 2008 and Never Mind the Day-Glo Here’s Rubella Ballet in 2010; the pair of releases contained the group’s complete discography. Minx directed the 2010 documentary She’s a Punk Rocker about women in punk rock. Planet Punk, Rubella Ballet’s first studio album in 24 years, appeared in 2014. Dark Entries reissued Ballet Bag as an LP in 2017, adding both of the band’s Peel Sessions.
Guitarist Pete Fender and bassist Gem Stone, both offspring of Poison Girls’ Vi Subversa, launched Rubella Ballet in 1979 together with drummer Sid Attion and his partner Zillah Minx. Womble and Annie Anxiety served as vocalists in an early lineup, though Minx assumed lead vocals once Anxiety withdrew abruptly. While residing with Attion at the Poison Girls’ home, Minx used the band’s gear to rehearse and compose. The group made their first stage appearance at a Crass show when the headliners invited audience members to create music on the spot, then continued performing with a rotating cast and frequently shared bills with Poison Girls and Crass despite clear differences in style and presentation.
By the end of 1981 the lineup had stabilized around Minx, Attion, Stone, guitarist Andy Smith, and synthesizer player Eugene Crowley. They recorded their debut release Ballet Bag, issued on cassette by Poison Girls’ Xntrix label. The tape sold more than 3,000 copies and drew the notice of legendary DJ John Peel, who invited Rubella Ballet to record their first Peel Session. After relentless touring and the 7" EP Ballet Dance, which reached the Top Ten of the U.K. Independent Singles chart, the band taped a second Peel Session in 1983. Following U.K. dates with Death Cult, the group—now featuring Zillah’s sister Rachel Minx on bass—cut the 42f 12" EP, which also charted on the indie lists.
Even while appearing in music magazines and headlining shows for thousands, Rubella Ballet upheld their principles by performing and recording strictly on their own terms. They established Ubiquitous Records in 1985 and released debut LP At Last It’s Playtime plus the non-album single “Money Talks” that same year. These were followed by the second album If and another standalone single, “Arctic Flowers,” in 1986. Cocktail Mix (1987) gathered Ballet Bag and Ballet Dance onto LP, and the band completed their first American tour that year, including dates with Faith No More and the Dead Kennedys. The Ballet’s Birthday Box (1988) collected material from their seventh-anniversary concert and the U.S. trek. Brave Records put out the CD compilation Rubella Ballet’s Greatest Trips and the proper album At the End of the Rainbow in 1990, after which the group disbanded. Attion, now using the name Sid Truelove, and Minx shifted toward rave music and formed Xenophobia with MC Skallywag of freetekno pioneers Spiral Tribe. The project issued several EPs, and the 1992 breakbeat hardcore track “Rushing the House” became a hit once Kickin Records picked it up.
In 2000 Rubella Ballet reunited for a punk festival performance alongside the Damned, Stiff Little Fingers, Steve Ignorant of Crass, and others. Sid and Zillah kept the band active with a mix of new and returning members, though they played less often than during the 1980s. Overground Records issued Anarchy in the U.V. in 2008 and Never Mind the Day-Glo Here’s Rubella Ballet in 2010; the pair of releases contained the group’s complete discography. Minx directed the 2010 documentary She’s a Punk Rocker about women in punk rock. Planet Punk, Rubella Ballet’s first studio album in 24 years, appeared in 2014. Dark Entries reissued Ballet Bag as an LP in 2017, adding both of the band’s Peel Sessions.
Albums
Singles
