Fatal Microbes
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Image:Fatal microbes.jpgThe 'Fatal' Microbes was a UK punk rock group that existed in the late 1970s. Honey Bane (Donna Tracy) was the lead singer. Other band members were Gem Stone (Gemma Sansom) on drums, Pete Fender (Daniel Sansom) on guitar, and Scotty Boy Barker (Scott Barker) who was replaced as bassist by It (Quentin North) after he left.
In 1979, they released a 7" Violence Grows, and later the same single on a split 12" EP which also featured Brighton anarcho-punks The Poison Girls (whose singer, Vi Subversa, happened to be the mother of Gem Stone and Pete Fender), both on the Small Wonder records record label. Honey Bane later released the EP "You Can Be You" with the band Crass - featuring the track Porno Grows, referencing the earlier single - whilst on the run from a children's home, which was released under the name Donna and the Kebabs. Jimmy Pursey (Sham 69 vocalist) in his capacity as talent scout for EMI-subsidiary Zonophone got her a 5 year contract with Zonophone. 3 singles were issued in the spring of 1981, including the minor hit Turn Me On, Turn Me Off. Ironically, given the title of one of her songs, she appeared in a few soft porn movies in the early to mid eighties. She subsequently appears to have had 3 children, married an American serviceman and moved to the USA.
Pete Fender subsequently went on to form Rubella Ballet with Annie Anxiety and Sid the drummer who was also in Flux of Pink Indians. Gem Stone also joined Rubella Ballet and It made a brief appearance. Pete Fender also released a 7" EP, "Four Formulas", under his own name on XNTrix records. Pete Fender, Gem Stone and It had orginally met when they formed the band Punktuation in 1976. With an average age of just 13 years, it would make them probably the youngest punk band in the country at the time.