One of the most creative and original and dare I say it “gothic” of all Post-Punk bands could very well be the Virgin Prunes. The band was formed by a group of childhood friends called Lypton Village in Dublin Ireland, The group included Bono (Paul Hewson), Gavin Friday (Fionan Hanvey), and Guggi (Derek Rowen)
The band Virgin Prunes was formed in 1977 and featured Friday and fellow vocalist Guggi, along with third vocalist Dave-iD Busaras, guitarist Dik Evans (who happens to be the brother of U2’s The Edge), bassist Strongman (Trevor Rowen, brother of Guggi) and originally drummer Pod (Anthony Murphy). Pod was replaced by Haa-Lacka Binttii (Daniel Figgis).
Their stage performances conveyed a hybrid mix of glam-rock and hammer horror in such an avant-garde style as to be never replicated by any popular music act since—with the band’s transition into The Prunes after Dik and Guggi’s exit before the fourth Virgin Prunes album The Moon Looked Down and Laughed, followed by Gavin leaving in 1986—and final dissolution in 1988.
Despite a performance of Virgin Prunes material at Carnegie Hall back in 2009, Gavin and Guggi have made it clear the band will never reform—so all of us post-punk fans who were children during and after the early 80s will have to settle for some of this amazing live footage shot at New York’s Danceteria, Switzerland, Berlin, and Vienna.
