Biography
The Scavengers joined forces with the Suburban Reptiles as the earliest punk acts to burst onto New Zealand’s music landscape. Originating in Auckland during 1977, the unit grew out of the fractious and largely ineffective 1B Darlings, a group remembered chiefly for onstage brawls. After encountering an NME feature on the Sex Pistols and obtaining an imported copy of “Anarchy in the U.K.,” the musicians recast themselves as a punk ensemble, taking the name Scavengers and assuming stage identities: vocalist Mike Simmons became Mike Lesbian, guitarist Paul Cooke styled himself Johnny Volume, and drummer Simon Monroe answered to Des Truction, while bassist Marlon Hart kept his given name. The quartet soon occupied a derelict warehouse, rehearsing steadily; before long a cluster of teenagers gathered daily outside the space, generating palpable anticipation.
Their early sets mixed original material with covers of favored influences such as Iggy Pop, the New York Dolls, and Kiss alongside foundational punk recordings. A twelve-song demo secured the band’s debut live appearance in June 1977. As press coverage of punk intensified, the Scavengers drew heavy media scrutiny yet responded with deliberate provocation, verbally assailing crowds and flinging refuse at spectators. They secured a standing engagement at Auckland’s Zwines, the city’s principal punk venue, until Lesbian departed suddenly in early 1978. London-born singer Brendan Perry, performing as Ronnie Recent, stepped in; from the resulting upheaval emerged the caustic single “Mysterex,” which assailed Lesbian’s punk authenticity. On 18 June 1978 the revised lineup delivered a Wellington Town Hall concert that, viewed in hindsight, marked the zenith of New Zealand’s initial punk surge before media attention swiftly waned.
The group then embarked on a nationwide tour framed as a send-off ahead of an intended move to London. Hoping to finance passage by selling equipment, they instead depleted the proceeds and had to borrow replacement gear to continue. A further New Zealand trek finally yielded sufficient funds to reach Melbourne, Australia, in 1979. There the musicians rebranded as the Marching Girls, their chief remaining artifact an unreleased Polydor single titled “Routine.” Several demo recordings later appeared on the AK79 compilation. Momentum nevertheless faltered: four months elapsed before another booking materialized, and Volume’s unpredictable conduct alienated influential figures in Melbourne’s club circuit. A lone single, “True Love,” surfaced in mid-1980. Multiple dissolutions and reunions followed in subsequent years, none restoring the earlier intensity. Brendan Perry, shedding the Ronnie Recent persona, eventually resurfaced in the 4AD act Dead Can Dance.
Their early sets mixed original material with covers of favored influences such as Iggy Pop, the New York Dolls, and Kiss alongside foundational punk recordings. A twelve-song demo secured the band’s debut live appearance in June 1977. As press coverage of punk intensified, the Scavengers drew heavy media scrutiny yet responded with deliberate provocation, verbally assailing crowds and flinging refuse at spectators. They secured a standing engagement at Auckland’s Zwines, the city’s principal punk venue, until Lesbian departed suddenly in early 1978. London-born singer Brendan Perry, performing as Ronnie Recent, stepped in; from the resulting upheaval emerged the caustic single “Mysterex,” which assailed Lesbian’s punk authenticity. On 18 June 1978 the revised lineup delivered a Wellington Town Hall concert that, viewed in hindsight, marked the zenith of New Zealand’s initial punk surge before media attention swiftly waned.
The group then embarked on a nationwide tour framed as a send-off ahead of an intended move to London. Hoping to finance passage by selling equipment, they instead depleted the proceeds and had to borrow replacement gear to continue. A further New Zealand trek finally yielded sufficient funds to reach Melbourne, Australia, in 1979. There the musicians rebranded as the Marching Girls, their chief remaining artifact an unreleased Polydor single titled “Routine.” Several demo recordings later appeared on the AK79 compilation. Momentum nevertheless faltered: four months elapsed before another booking materialized, and Volume’s unpredictable conduct alienated influential figures in Melbourne’s club circuit. A lone single, “True Love,” surfaced in mid-1980. Multiple dissolutions and reunions followed in subsequent years, none restoring the earlier intensity. Brendan Perry, shedding the Ronnie Recent persona, eventually resurfaced in the 4AD act Dead Can Dance.
Albums
