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Honey Bane is one of the music industry’s biggest rebels and the original girl on the run. The teenager found herself being dealt with many obstacles in life, from an early age, but used this to her advantage, picking up her pen to express herself in the form of music. She began her career at the age of 14 in 1978 when she formed the punk rock band, Fatal Microbes. The band released a split 12" record with anarcho-punk band Poison Girls the same year. The first single, "Violence Grows" garnered some press attention and was given positive reviews by the British music paper Sounds.


After the 1979 breakup of the Fatal Microbes, and a stint in a juvenile detention facility that garnered more press attention, Bane began a collaboration with Crass while she was on the run from the Social Services after serving a sentence at the St. Charles Youth Treatment Centre in Essex. Lending lead vocals and backed by the band under the name, Donna and the Kebabs, the newly formed label, Crass Records, released it’s debut EP, You Can Be You in 1979. That same year, Bane sang vocals for Killing Joke on "What's the Matter" during a February 1980 gig at London's Venue club. The recording was later released as on Killing Joke - Live At The Venue LP.


In 1980, she met Sham 69 vocalist Jimmy Pursey who began to manage her musical career.  That year she was signed to EMI/Zonophone records for a five-year contract. In 1981 the single "Turn Me On Turn Me Off" was released and peaked in the UK Singles Chart at #37, and Bane subsequently appeared performing the single on Top of the Pops. "Turn Me On Turn Me Off" marked a musical departure of Bane from punk rock to a new wave sound.


Honey released several more singles in the early 80s garnering much positive attention and a firm following of fans. In 1982 she appeared in the play Demonstration of Affection by Chris Ward opposite Richard Jobson of The Skids at London's Arts Theatre. In 1983 she gained a prominent role in the Mai Zetterling directed British film Scrubbers. Bane played the role of "Molly" and the film centred on the lives of young women incarcerated in a British girls' borstal. The film also featured actors Kathy Burke, Pam St. Clement, Robbie Coltrane and Miriam Margolyes.


The teenage singer found herself constantly battling with record bosses, who seemed to want to mould her into a teen idol and pin up. Forced to record more light hearted pop music, she began to rebel and unhappy with the direction she was being pushed towards musically by EMI, Honey terminated her contract and for a short while put her music career on hold.


During the 1990s, she returned to music and fronted the band Dog's Tooth Violet and formed a  metal band, Stress.


In 2006 she released a two track 7" single entitled "Down Thing" / "Got Me All Wrong".


In 2008 Honey Bane appeared in a role in the Chris Ward-written and directed short film What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor, based on the life of artist/model Nina Hamnett, self-styled "Queen of Bohemia", starring Siobhan Fahey (ex singer with Bananarama and Shakespears Sister), actor Clive Arrindel and Donny Tourette (front man with punk band Towers of London).


Honey has recently returned to acting and has starred a string of independent films.






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View the Honey Bane story in Timeline mode


Year

Title

Label

Type

1978

Violence Grows

(Fatal Microbes)

Small Wonder Records, Xntrix

EP

1979

You Can Be You

Crass Records

EP

1980

Guilty

Honey Bane

Single

1981

Baby Love

Zonophone

Single

1981

Turn Me On Turn Me Off

EMI

Single

1981

Negative Exposure

EMI

Single

1981

Jimmy… (Listen To Me)

EMI

Single

1982

I Wish I Could Be Me

EMI

Single

1983

Dizzy Dreamers

Zonophone

Single

2006

Downthing

Handy 4

Single

2015

Acceptance Of Existence

You Can Be You

Album

Year

Title

Role

1983

Scrubbers

“Molly”

2008

What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor

“Cat Lady”

2014

Last Chance At Paradise

The Mother

2014

Boys Behind Bars II

“Mizz Alison Muncher”

2014

Boys Behind Bars III

“Mizz Alison Muncher”

Year

Title

Role

1981

Top Of The Pops

Herself

1981

Tizwas

Herself (interview)

1981

Crown Court: A Sword In The Hand Of David

“Joanna Downey”

1982

Jangles

“Jane”

1982

Riverside

Behind the scenes of Scrubbers

1982

Trebor Mints advert

Herself

Year

Title

Role

2014

For The Love Of Laura

 (Audio play)