Rockbitch was an expat British
mostly-female Celtic punk/metal/goth band, best known for
performing nude and incorporating sexual acts and
Pagan rituals into their performances. The band was originally formed (as Red Abyss) by bassist Amanda from the members of a free sex commune, where monogamy was outlawed. Musically,
Red Abyss drew on jazz, funk and rock influences dominated by singer Julie's Janis
Joplin-influenced vocals. In time Red Abyss's music became harder edged, drawing on punk and metal influences. As its
line-up changed, this led to a name change to Rockbitch. Rockbitch was nearly ready to call it a day due to the apathy of
male-dominated rock audiences.
At what was intended to be their last gig (at a biker festival) Rockbitch decided to put the wild sex of their home life into
the stage act. They went down a storm and decided to continue touring in order to spread their pro-sex message. The most infamous
part of their stage act was "The Golden Condom" contest. This involved throwing the so-called golden condom out into the
audience. Whoever caught it (man or woman) was taken backstage for sex with one or more band members. The intention of this was
to prove the band were not just an act and were ready to stand by their beliefs.
Rockbitch toured widely from the late '90s until 2002, meeting increasing resistance from authorities, particularly English
town councils who were constantly banning gigs. Large sections of their audience (particularly in England) tended to consist of
drunken lads just wanting to see some nudity, with no interest in the message. However Rockbitch also began to attract a small
following of men and women who seemingly understood the band's message. Outside the UK (particularly in Holland) they sometimes
played to more sympathetic audiences. However, in Germany they suffered many censorship problems.
Rockbitch became entirely female when original lead guitarist The Beast retired to a management/production role and Babe moved
up from rhythm to lead guitar. Luci previously "Stage Slut" (nude dancer and sexual link between band and audience) then became
rhythm guitarist. After the release of their first studio album Motor Driven Bimbo, Rockbitch were sacked by their record
company for refusing to drop sex/nudity from their stage act. Because of this the recorded second, more goth-influenced album
Psychic Attack, featuring the song "I Wish I Were", written by American poetess Erzsebet
Beck, was never released. Rockbitch ceased performing in 2002 after many years of pressure from bodies such as councils,
police forces and governments.
In 2005 the entire latter day Rockbitch line up returned under the new band name MT-TV. This is
a music only project without the sex and nudity of the Rockbitch days, (but with a certain amount of stage theatrics.) After a UK
tour in summer 2005, they headed to the USA, where they have been touring ever since.
Personnel
Rockbitch was formed from the remnants of the band Red Abyss. The personnel listing on their
albums is titled "The Bitches:"
- Julie: Vocals, Priestess of the Warrior Cult
- Luci: Guitar, Stage Slut
- Amanda: Bass, The Bitch
- Nikki: Piano, Flute, Nymphomaniac
- Jo: Drums, Confrontational Predatory Lesbian
- Babe: Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals, Webmistress
- Beast: Guitar on Motor Driven Bimbo and producer of both studio albums.
- Chloe: Sex Magick Priestess
- Martina: Sex Magick Priestess
- Kali: Sex Magick Priestess
Discography
- Luci's Love Child (as Red Abyss)
- Rockbitch Live In Amsterdam (1997)
- Bitchcraft (concert video, 1998)
- Motor Driven Bimbo (1999)
- The Bitch O'Clock news (concert/documentary video, 1998)
- Psychic Attack - unreleased (2002)
- Sex, Death and Magick (concert/documentary video, 2002)
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
