Fabulous

This UK post-punk band was formed in the wake of the media success of the Manic Street Preachers. Fabulous comprised Simon Dudfield (vocals), plus Martin Goodacre (guitar), ‘Hodge’ (drums), Russell Underwood (second guitar) and Ronnie Fabulous (bass). They were managed by former New Musical Express assistant editor James Brown. Dudfield was a contributor and both Goodacre and Underwood were photographers on the same paper. Live they were characterized by Dudfield’s studied Iggy Pop impersonations, while musically and ideologically they borrowed from the situationist tack of the Sex Pistols. Their first single, ‘Destined To Be Free’, was just a small part of their stated agenda to reinvent 1977 and rid the UK music scene of the ‘Ecstasy’ mentality. They also made a point of exhibiting a stolen carpet from EMI Records’ offices. As more than one journalist noted, the Sex Pistols had taken that record company for £50, 000, which put Fabulous’ achievements in some sort of perspective. Not to be confused with the American rap artist of the same name.