Wednesday, 16 February 2022

Beki Bondage

Beki Bondage (born Rebecca Louise Bond) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontwoman of the punk band Vice Squad.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Vice Squad was formed in 1979 in Bristol from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. The initial line-up consisted of Beki Bondage (vocals), Dave Bateman (guitar), Mark Hambly (bass guitar) and Shane Baldwin (drums), and they played their first gig at Bristol University's Anson Rooms on 12 April 1979. The band took some time to make further impact, only playing six gigs in 1980. Its first single, "Last Rockers" in 1981, was well-received, selling over 20,000 copies and spending almost forty weeks in the UK Indie Chart, reaching number 7. The follow-up, "Resurrection", reached number 4, and the band undertook a tour supporting UK Subs. The singles received airplay and support from BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, and the band went on to record two sessions for his show, in 1981 and 1982. 










In 1981, the band signed with the major label EMI (on their Zonophone subsidiary). Their first album, No Cause For Concern, was released in late 1981, reaching number 32 in the UK Album Chart. A second album, Stand Strong Stand Proud, followed in 1982, and the band embarked on a tour of the United States and Canada. On returning from the US, Bondage announced that she was leaving the band.




In 1983, she left Vice Squad to form the band Ligotage with Steve Roberts of UK Subs. Their only album, Forgive and Forget, was released on the independent Picasso Records label. Following the release of two solo singles in 1985, Bondage formed The Bombshells (often billed as "Beki & the Bombshells") in 1986. The band continued to play on the London club and punk circuit for many years. In 1998, she reformed Vice Squad with a new line-up; the band continues to record and tour. She also released a solo record album of covers in 2000 entitled Cold Turkey.