In early winter of 1979 Vermilion teamed forces with label inmates Steve Tannet , Noel Martin, and Charlie Casey (EX-MENACE) to play live performances and record .
Combining the Hardcore tear-a-way stance + Motorcycle songs with the searing pogo backbeat of Menace power , Illegal records and Insult design present a double A side single produced by the social deviant himself, Mick Farren.
VERMILION AND THE ACES (well she does have very red hair) is a raucous and effective singer whose songs have an emphasis,lyrically, on sex and motorbikes.
One 'Gladiator Rock'brings the two obsessions neatly and catchily together:"angels are born they are never made" goes the refrain. Mike Mills - What's On in London
Vermilion & The Aces - London Music Machine
Never did see horrible old Music Machine so vacant, so stagnant.
Never dld see such a fine performance in front of a virtual 20 people.
Never dld reckon Vermillon would be quite as good as this.
Vermillon Sands —named after the JG Ballard novel of the same appendage — is a lady with character, a crazy bad - time American lady whose outward outspokenness
and off-the-cuff bad mouthings often belie her level headed perception and heart of gold.
Onstage — here opening for Fashlon and Brian James & The Brains — she struts her stuff , cracks jokes.swears. laughs. sings with unsettling power ...
and doesn't give a monkey's about the empty hall.
Maybe the llghts are in the way and she don't know. But that can't be it ...
Her "band" — The Aces — are Menace people who've slotted into their role here with admirable deftness.providing just the right complimentary backdrop kick the lady's
fresh presence demands.
The performance is a convincing exposition of cycle - slut rock and roll. bear's - ass rough at the edges. simply bubbling over with personality, vigorous and invigorating.
There's no set list to hand, so 1 can't go throwing titles around ...but she went through 'Wild Boys (Ride Their Bikes), 'Angry Young Women' from the single and a bunch of others
which were anything but padding. Witnessing this bludgeoning aggro-rock ,there are subleties in there. somewhere too and noting how it didn't have to resort to buzzsaw cliche for effect proved
a rewarding and reassuring experience.
At the end, Vermilion emits a final yell down the mike, casually plcks up her Jacket and strolls off the stage, leaving the Aces to hammer - and tong away the last few bars.
All so... natural Just how it should be.
Vermilion is one of the preclous few real persons on the current scene: Cherry Vanilla? Bad Girl? You don't know nothin'. Chris Westwood
