The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up and Palmolive, with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy. Their 1979 debut album, Cut, has been called one of the defining releases of the post-punk era.
Public Image Ltd are an English post-punk band formed by lead vocalist John Lydon, guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and drummer Jim Walker in May 1978. The group's line-up has changed frequently over the years; Lydon has been the sole constant member.
Neneh Mariann Karlsson, better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish-British singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk and post-punk bands in her youth, including the Slits and Rip Rig + Panic.
John Joseph Wardle, known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; he left the band after two albums.
The Pop Group are an English rock band formed in Bristol in 1977 by vocalist Mark Stewart, guitarist John Waddington, bassist Simon Underwood, guitarist/saxophonist Gareth Sager, and drummer Bruce Smith. Their work in the late 1970s crossed diverse musical influences including punk, dub, funk, and free jazz with radical politics, helping to pioneer post-punk music.
The Flowers of Romance is the third studio album by English experimental rock band Public Image Ltd, released on 10 April 1981 by record label Virgin.
Jim Walker is a Canadian musician who was a founding director as well as the original drummer for the UK music group Public Image Ltd.
Ariane Daniele Forster, known by her stage name Ari Up, was a German vocalist best known as a member of the English punk rock band the Slits.
Rip Rig + Panic was an English post-punk band founded in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was named after the 1965 jazz album of the same name by Roland Kirk. It was formed by Sean Oliver (bass), Mark Springer, Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith — the latter two formerly of The Pop Group) — with singer Neneh Cherry. Other members included saxophonist Flash, singer Andi Oliver, trumpeter David De Fries, and viola-player Sarah Sarhandi.
Head were an English rock band of the late 1980s.
Gareth Sager is a British guitarist, keyboardist, musician, composer and songwriter, and is a founding member of The Pop Group, Rip Rig + Panic, Float Up CP and Head.
Jarret Lloyd Vincent, better known by one of his stage aliases Bim Sherman, was a Jamaican musician and singer-songwriter.
New Age Steppers were a dub collective from the United Kingdom, formed by producer Adrian Sherwood and featuring members of various prominent 1970s UK post-punk groups, including Ari Up and Viv Albertine of the Slits, Mark Stewart and Bruce Smith of The Pop Group, Keith Levene of Public Image Ltd, John Waddington of Rip Rig + Panic, and Vicky Aspinall of The Raincoats. Other musicians included associates of Sherwood's On-U Sound label, including George Oban, Bim Sherman, Style Scott, and Eskimo Fox.
John Joseph Lydon, also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English-American singer and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, which was active from 1975 to 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s. He is also the lead vocalist of post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL), which he founded and fronted from 1978 until 1993, and again since 2009.
Return of the Giant Slits is the second studio album by English punk band the Slits, released in 1981 by CBS Records on LP and cassette. In comparison with its widely acclaimed predecessor, Cut, released in 1979, it showcases a rhythmic, more experimental sound, inspired by afro-pop. The Slits would disband for the first time months after its release in early 1982.
God is the debut studio album of post-punk band Rip Rig + Panic, released on 3 September 1981 by Virgin Records. It took the unusual form of two 12" 45 rpm discs, a format which would be repeated with the group's second album, I Am Cold. In 2013, the album was reissued by Cherry Red Records on CD with an additional tracks taken from singles.
I Am Cold is the second studio album by post-punk band Rip Rig + Panic, released on 18 June 1982 by Virgin Records. Like the group's first album God, it was released as two 12" 45 rpm discs; the group's subsequent album Attitude would be a conventional 12" 33rpm release. In 2013, the album was reissued by Cherry Red Records on CD with an additional tracks taken from singles.
Mark Springer is a British pianist and composer. Springer first came to public attention in the group Rip Rig and Panic. This group also featured the singer Neneh Cherry, Sean Oliver, Gareth Sager, and Bruce Smith. During his time with the group, started his exploration of piano performances and compositions. Springer has composed for piano, string quartets, opera, and other ensembles, and owns his own record label.
Nora Maier Forster was a German-British music promoter, publishing heiress, actress, and model. Before moving to London in the late 1960s, she worked in West Germany with Jimi Hendrix, Wishbone Ash, and Yes. In London she helped to financially support the punk bands The Slits, the Sex Pistols, and The Clash. She was married to John Lydon of the Sex Pistols.
