Virgin Prunes

They're Irish and they're... well, goth ? punk ? indie ?? Very hard to put a label on it. But I very rarely heard something like them...

I discovered them only very recently, but I find it very fascinating in a positive way. Incredible such experimental music comes from seventies' Dublin, in a country where pop music still dominates the airwaves and with a very limited alternative scene... Very surprising to then see such experimental band rise from Ireland.

I'd like to discover more... Which album/songs should I start with ? Any decent web resources apart from virginprunes.com ?? Did the band ever re-unite ??

and U2 fans, feel free to join this thread, as there are very strong bonds between U2 and the Virgin Prunes.

As a teen in the late 70's early 80's I could never get my head around the Prunes but could with U2 for some reason. That said, I was nver sure of U2 after the Joshua Tree.

Start with Baby turns Blue. An absolute classic.
Still very popular and influential in Industrial circles on the continent. It's a bit cliche but they were well ahead of their time. Some awful dribble from them as well though!
I think they re released all their albums recently and some of them still do a bit of Dj ing in some London clubs, the Slimelight i think.

adam claytons brother is in the band,i think??

album "if i die i,die " released in 1982 was about their highest point which included the afore mentioned "baby turns blue"

tbh i could never make up my mind whether they were up to much or just a bunch of posers..

great live show though (showing my age there :o )

Is it just me and my dramatic goth mind or is this pure genious ?


He didn' wear his scarlet robe, cause blood and wine are red
And blood and wine were on his hands when they found him with the Dead
With the woman whom he loved and murdered in her bed


Class ! Reminds me of the brilliang horror goth song "Song of Joy" by Nick Cave, including parts taken from horror poems...

Then one morning I found her weeping for many days to follow
She grew so sad and lonely, became Joy in name only
Within her breast they've launched an unnamed sorrow and a dark and grim force set sail
*Fairwell happy fields, where Joy forever dwells... Hail horrors hail...*

Was it an act of contrition or some awful preminition
as if she soar into the heart of her final blood-soaked night
Those lunatic eyes, that hungry kitchen knife...
...
Quotes of John Milton on the wall in the victim's blood
In my house he wrote "His Red Right Hand", and that I'm told is from Paradise Lost...