The Flowers of Romance (British band)
| Company type | Punk band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Jo Faull, Sarah Hall |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
| Products | Punk music |
The Flowers of Romance emerged as a pioneering punk ensemble in mid-1976, founded by Jo Faull and Sarah Hall, who were romantically involved with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols. Although the group never issued any official recordings, it holds significance similar to London SS and Masters of the Backside for featuring members who subsequently rose to fame: Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, Keith Levene (an early contributor to the Clash and later a member of Public Image Ltd), Palmolive and Viv Albertine from the Slits, along with Kenny Morris, who later joined Siouxsie and the Banshees. In late 1976, Morris took over drumming duties from Palmolive. The band disbanded in January 1977 following Vicious's entry into the Sex Pistols and Morris's departure to Siouxsie and the Banshees. Despite never performing live, they were featured in an interview with SKUM fanzine, where Sid Vicious remarked, "I'll just be the yob that I am now."
The provocative track "Belsen Was a Gas", which references the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, was co-written for this group by Vicious and Levene. Levene reflected, "Sid always had some catchphrase he found amusing... I created the riff for the tune, which was later covered by The Pistols. PIL also performed it. We embodied nihilism in a sense, but not aligned with traditional political views. Our nihilism was destructive, fascinated by decay and what could be constructed from it." This song was performed live by the Sex Pistols, Public Image Ltd, and Sid Vicious during his solo career.
The band's name, proposed by Johnny Rotten, was later adopted as the title for an early Sex Pistols song, as well as a 1981 album and its title track by Public Image Ltd. Viv Albertine composed "So Tough" specifically for The Flowers of Romance; it eventually appeared on the Slits' debut album Cut.
Personnel
- Sid Vicious – vocals, guitar, saxophone
- Keith Levene – guitar
- Viv Albertine – guitar
- Jo Faull – guitar
- Marco Pirroni – guitar (brief tenure)
- Steve Walsh – guitar
- Sarah "Rouge" Hall – bass
- Steve Spittle – bass
- Palmolive – drums
- Kenny Morris – drums
External links
- Keith Levene Interview (Part 1) at punk77.co.uk
- The Flowers Of Romance at punk77.co.uk