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Bloods rule, ok!

from l to r Annie Toone, Kathy Rey, Adele Bertei and Kathleen Campbell (not pictured: bassist Brenda Alderman )- photo © Laura Levine New York Rocker 81

Drolly referred to as Adele & The Drells by John Lurie, The Bloods were a much beloved band of no-wave ne'er-do-wells. They brewed a unique concoction of ardent and urgent funk n roll that drew equally from the emerging hip-hop culture, parliament, and ornettified free jazz as it did from traditional funk, motown and Stones/Dolls/Patti/Doors/Stooges anthemic rocknroll. As one of the earliest all-girl outfits they also had a secret weapon that set them apart: Adele Bertei's indelible vocals combined with the band's charismatic power to deliver onstage.

Also worth noting is that a decade before Riot Grrl and Queercore and the declarations of Elton, kd, and Melissa, and 20 years before Homo-hop and LOGO, the Bloods stood virtually alone as the only unabashedly out band of their day. Notable exceptions being individual artists like Sylvester, Pete Shelley, Jayne County, Phranc and Tom Robinson.

In 2 short years between 80-82, The Bloods played a shit ton of shows in the US and Europe. They headlined venues as well as sharing the bill with enumerable acts, including being handpicked to open for The Clash at Bonds. They also shared bills with REM, Gang of Four, Johnny Thunders, Allen Ginsberg, Nona Hendryx, DNA, Bush Tetras, ESG, The Go-Gos, The Fall, Y-Pants, the dBs, Delta 5, Adam Ant, Konk, Afrika Bambaata, Liquid Liquid, Sugarhill Gang, Pigbag, The Treacherous Three, ? & The Mysterians and many more.

With Red Crayola, they provided the soundtrack for Lizzie Borden's first feature, the anarcho-feminist Revolutionary Fable Born In Flames. Adele starred in the film which also featured fellow ex-Contortion, Bush Tetras' guitarist Pat Place.

The Bloods first single Button Up, recorded in England in '81 on the Au Pairs Exit Records, became an indy dance classic, garnering rave reviews in the New York and British press and extensive club and air-play internationally although the band had split before its release.

Button-Up appears on the New York Noise Compilation released on CD and vinyl June 2003 on the British SoulJazz imprint.

Time Out recommends it and Tangents said this.

Rave reviews in Rolling Stone, great distribution and availability (from Other Music to Tower Records) means that the world may finally be ready for The Bloods some 20 years post postpunk :D. Righteous props to all the dj's, fans and hot new bands like The Rapture, The Gossip, The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Erase Errata for keeping the fierce flame burning.

The Bloods represented New York contributing two songs to the Venus Weltklang compilation LP on Flame Records. Recorded live in Berlin at the First International Women In Rock festival in 1981. Venus Weltklang also features material by The Slits, The Au Pairs, Kleenex, Lliliput, The Modettes and Malaria.  After a second grueling and extensive European tour, The Bloods split in Amsterdam in the spring of 1982. After the dust settled by the mid-80's, hatchets were buried and their bond remains strong to this day, 'cause blood is blood for life. :)

Acknowledged as a downtown icon, singer Adele Bertei went on to work with Tears for Fears, Thomas Dolby, Boy George, Scritti Politti, Lydia Lunch and Sophie B. Hawkins among others. A pre-Madonna Jellybean Benitez mixed Adele's self-penned Billboard-topping dance 12 inches including Build Me A Bridge. Her vastly different early noise keyboard work as an original Contortion also continues to inspire.

She appears in and provided music for several films by scott & beth b and has a piece in the award-winning anthology The New Fuck You edited by Eileen Myles. Adele is also a filmmaker and writer currently at work on a full length memoir chronicling her childhood in Cleveland. She lives in Los Angeles.

Keyboardist and singer Annie Toone went on to form the avantjazz punkestra Idiotsavant, first in in Amsterdam then partnering in London with Clare Hirst (Bellestarres). She did a stint in the Well-Oiled Sisters in London, and fronted The Bucktooth Varmints and Frankie Tenderloin & The Rent Boy$ in San Francisco.

She has been credited as a pioneer in the modern art of the Drag King, creating several male alter egos and starring in and writing the songs for the first drag king rock n roll musical Hillbillies On the Moon. She also appears in The Drag King Book, Female Masculinity; The Frank Clarke film Blonde Fist; and the documentaries xy drag and Gendernauts. He now prefers the male pronoun since his "Transformal"* in 2003. Anderson is at an undisclosed California location with both music and film plots in the works.

Guitarist Kathy Rey went on to play guitar in NY's Transisters in the 90s and is now a powered-suited executive for a high end multimedia agency as well as a doting mom. Kathy actually commutes by SUV every day into soho from brooklyn, nary a sign of the keith richard as girl of her Bloods days...or so she leads us to believe. ;)

Bassist Brenda Alderman has been a session player on a pile of stuff, including working with both Adele and Kathy. Dang, can't she just spank that thing, tho? Brenda lives, as she always has, in Queens.

Kathleen Campbell also known as Leen Leen the mean drummin' machine was last seen somewhere in the desert southwest. We think she's a masseuse.

Original bassist Ann Phelan joined the Coast Guard at a certain point and was never heard from again. We still have her leather jacket which has now been around the world a time or two and has the badges to prove it. The ghost of Ann still lurks, pool cue at the ready, on the corner of second avenue and east 4th where The BAR used to be...and The Bloods still rule, ok!

We hope you enjoy and keep on funking the punk forward.

East Village Eye cover 1980 - L. to R. Ann, Kathy, Adele, Annie, Leen

* as coined by Lenny Kaye

Just unearthed--The Bloods live at The Peppermint Lounge NYC in 81 performing "Turandot"