iSound

Formed in mid-1977 in Dublin, for a time the Virgin Prunes were “the most overtly subversive rock group ever to come out of the genre” (Mark Prendergast, “Irish Rock”). Their reputation was built on their outrageous stage performances and supported by a wayward and individual collection of record releases. Their initial years concentrated on live performance, mainly within Dublin. By the end of the decade, they were ready to release their ideas to a wider audience. Their first single was released in 1980 and they were at their most prolific and innovative thoughout 1981-82, a period which included the quintessential A New Form of Beauty project, the intimidating Heresie French box set and the release of their first LP, the “accessible” …if I die, I die. Their musical output during this period was memorably described by Claude Bessy as “an infernal roller coaster through Throbbing Gristle’s most malevolent moments with heavy doses of dissonant Stooges-style string-tension testing....