Michelle Brigandage & Richard Cabut of ‘80s goth/positive/post punk band Brigandage in a Camden cafe, 1984, as captured by Mick Mercer.
Both had been scenesters of the early London punk scene and their band existed in various incarnations between some time in the late-’70s till 1987. To quote Richard Cabut, the Sex Pistols’ punk had characterised the sound of the band’s former incarnation, ca. the’83 John Peel session and their ‘84 FYM cassette release.
Richard Cabut (aka Richard North), who was also a fanzine publisher and a writer for NME and ZigZag mag, coined the term “new positive punk” to describe a sub-genre of the era, in reference to a large number of bands and people that had sprung up at that time, “...facing their lifestyles in the direction of a re-evaluation and rejuvenation of the ideals that made the original outburst so great, an intensification of and expansion of that ethos of individuality, creativity and rebellion...”, a movenment that was soon to influence the ‘80s goth scene, including bands such as Brigandage, Southern Death Cult, Sex Gang Children, Blood And Roses and The Mob.
“...I liked the punk scene in the early 80s. I liked it in the mid Seventies, too...
...But the early 80s were another punk Spring. Punk at that time became a way of life for an increasingly large and motivated group of people. Moreover, folk were, to paraphrase Malcolm McLaren, creating an environment in which they could truthfully run wild. We were making scenes that took people away from the confines of school and work. Instead of just listening to records in isolation and going to the odd gig, people were having life adventures. Obviously, Brigandage and positive punk inherit a lot from the anarcho punk scene and shares a lot with the Batcave scene. But positive punks didn’t do much drugs and alcohol..”
Richard Cabut
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