Eve Libertine (born Bronwyn Lloyd Jones) is a British singer. She is best known for her role as co-lead vocalist in Crass (alongside Steve Ignorant) - the seminal anarchist punk band who, in the late '70s, launched a cultural attack on all social fronts; God, Queen and Country. Libertine wrote and performed most of the songs on the group's third album, Penis Envy, which concentrated exclusively on feminist issues and featured only female voices.
The band was based around an anarchist commune in a 16th century cottage, Dial House, near Epping, Essex, and formed when commune founder Penny Rimbaud began jamming with Steve Ignorant. They produced "So What?" and "Do They Owe Us A Living?" as a drum-and-vocal duo. They briefly called themselves Stormtrooper before choosing Crass in reference to a line in the David Bowie song "Ziggy Stardust" ("The kids was just crass"). Other friends and household members joined (including Gee Vaucher, Pete Wright, N. A. Palmer and Steve Herman), and Crass played their first live gig at a squatted street festival in Huntley Street, North London. Guitarist Steve Herman left the band soon afterwards, and was replaced by Phil Clancey, aka Phil Free. Joy De Vivre and Eve Libertine also joined around this time.
Crass released their third album, Penis Envy, in 1981. This marked a departure from the hardcore-punk image The Feeding of the 5000 and Stations of the Crass had given the group. It featured more-complex musical arrangements and female vocals by Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre (singer Steve Ignorant was credited as "not on this recording"). The album addressed feminist issues, attacking marriage and sexual repression.
After the dissolution of Crass in 1984, Libertine worked with her son Nemo Jones, a guitarist. She trained as a classical singer and has performed as part of Crass Agenda (renamed Last Amendment as of 2005) and with Penny Rimbaud, Matt Black, Christine Tobin, Julian Siegel, Ingrid Laubrock, Nabil Shaban, and Kate Shortt.
