Rubella Ballet

Rubella Ballet are a London punk group active from 1979. They form part of the anarcho-punk and goth scenes and are known for combining punk music with a highly visual stage presentation based around ultraviolet lighting and home-made day-glo clothing created by Zillah Minx.

Formation and early line-up

The band forms in autumn 1979 and is originally called Rubella Babies. Early members include drummer Sid Ation, guitarist Pete Fender, bassist Gem Stone and vocalist Annie Anxiety. Annie Anxiety is only involved at the start and leaves before the band settles into its first established line-up. Zillah Minx then joins as vocalist, replacing her after the first attempt at the group is assembled. Sid Ation is also known as Sid Truelove, born John Grant Carroll in Sutton Coldfield, and Zillah Minx is born Zillah Elaine Ashworth in Birkenhead. Pete Fender and Gem Stone are the son and daughter of Poison Girls singer Vi Subversa.

Scene, image and early activity

Rubella Ballet develop close links with the Crass and Poison Girls circle, living in a commune near Crass’s Dial House headquarters and using Poison Girls equipment to rehearse and write songs. Their first proper performance with Zillah Minx takes place at a Crass and Poison Girls concert, and their first arranged gig is a fundraiser for the Theatre Royal in Stratford supporting Poison Girls, which ends in a riot. They play frequently in the early years, often staying with audience members after gigs, and tour with Crass and Poison Girls. Their presentation stands out in the anarcho-punk scene through a bright ultraviolet stage show and colourful clothing rather than the black combat wear common around them.

Recordings and releases

The band records the Ballet Bag cassette pack in 1981 for Poison Girls’ XNTRIX Records. Their first vinyl release is the four-track 7-inch EP Ballet Dance in 1982, which reaches the Independent Chart and is repressed. After a second John Peel Session in January 1983, they release the 12-inch single 42°F on Jungle in 1984, which also enters the Independent Top Ten. They then issue the LP At Last It’s Playtime and the non-album 12-inch Money Talks on their own Ubiquitous label in 1985, followed by the 12-inch single Arctic Flowers and the album IF. Later releases include the compilation-style LP Cocktail Mix in 1987, the live double album The Ballet’s Birthday Box, and At The End of the Rainbow on One Little Indian/Brave in 1990. Back catalogue collections follow with Anarchy In The UV in 2008 and Never Mind The Day-Glo in 2010 on Overground Records.

Broadcasts, labels and touring

John Peel commissions two sessions from the band, the first airing in July 1982 and the second recorded in January 1983. They choose independence over interest from major labels. Their first European tours take place in the mid-1980s, and their first American tour follows, with Playtime and Money Talks both topping the KXLU Radio Chart in Los Angeles. They also tour and support acts including Death Cult, The Damned, Faith No More, The Mission, Dr & the Medics, Flux of Pink Indians, Sex Gang Children, Conflict and Alien Sex Fiend. They appear regularly in music press titles such as NME, Sounds, Melody Maker, Zigzag and Punk Lives, and they help support a wider DIY fanzine culture.

Later work and related projects

After embracing rave culture as Xenophobia, Sid and Zillah reactivate Rubella Ballet at the end of the 1990s and continue touring across the UK and Europe, including appearances at Rebellion Festival. In 2010 Zillah Minx devises and directs the documentary She’s A Punk Rocker. Rubella Ballet then issue Planet Punk on Overground Records in 2014, with Sid describing it as the band’s first album of new material in more than 25 years. The album appears on coloured vinyl with a CD and lyric booklet, and the band later reissues the LP on splatter vinyl. Sid also shifts from drums to guitar and vocals on stage alongside Zillah. Throughout their career, Rubella Ballet are associated with an inclusive ethos, supporting newer bands such as Ritual, Ausgang, the Skeletal Family, 1919 and Sex Gang Children.