Virgin Prunes

Led by charismatic singer Gavin Friday, Virgin Prunes left their mark on the post-punk and gothic scene of the early 1980s. Formed in Dublin in 1977 with vocalists Friday (Fionan Hanvey) and Guggi (Derek Rowen), guitarist Dik Evans (brother of U2's The Edge), bassist Strongma (Guggi's brother) and drummer Pod (Anthony Murphy), the Irish band made a name for itself with stage performances in which theatrical gestures mingled with tribal rhythms and Friday's disjointed vocals. Changes occur before the release of the single "Twenty Tens" (1981), produced by Mayo Thompson (Red Krayola), which reaches #25 in the UK charts. Distributed by Rough Trade, the group's label Baby Records also lined up "Moments and Mine (Despite Straight Lines)" (#50) and its biggest hit "Pagan Lovesong " (#13), as well as the four EP series A New Form of Beauty, compiled in 1983. Meanwhile, the album If I Die, I Die, produced by Colin Newman (Wire), reached No. 8 and included the hit "Baby Turns Blue" (No. 15), while the double EP Heresy, exploring the darkness of the human soul through the songs and lyrics of its five booklets, was released at the same time on the French label L'Invitation au Suicide. The band's unexpected notoriety and the resulting commercial constraints displeased Guggi and Evans, who withdrew from the project during the sessions for the abandoned album Sons Find Devils, whose tracks were split between the compilation Over the Rainbow and the following collection The Moon Looked Down and Laughed, released in 1986 and from which "Love Lasts Forever" (no. 18) is taken. Gavin Friday, in turn, left the adventure to go solo, putting an end to the band he had initiated.

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