Virgin Prunes

Formed alongside their contemporaries and compatriots U2 in Dublin in 1977, the Virgin Prunes adopted a different approach to the soon-to-be megaband, their head-on, avant garde, theatrical performances blending the iconoclasm of Throbbing Gristle with the anarchic musical attack of the Stooges. Their debut album was released, initially as a series of seven-, ten-, and twelve-inch singles, in 1982, to critical acclaim. But after several further releases, and despite an attempt at a less confrontational approach with a 1986 album produced by Soft Cell’s Dave Ball, commercial success remained elusive, and the Virgin Prunes effectively disbanded the following year.