Transvision Vamp & Anthony Doughty aka Tex Axile

I, like many other shallow individuals, fell for this band for well approx 5 minutes as they blasted thru I Want Your Love in their punky trashy way.  The  stunning Wendy James was the frontwoman for a band of well ….faceless musicians who were doing something with instruments  but nothing we really cared about. Ha ha. However my learned punky friends it transpires that a couple of the band had a more interesting  past than we knew and its time we investigated their murky past. 

Consider the case of Anthony Doughty who named himself Tex Axile and to this day uses this name. He declined to be interviewed however so the following is info is lifted directly from his site. Tex or the webmaster makes a lot of claims here and a lot of which can’t be confirmed or denied. The Snivelling Shits connection is doubtful and he almost certainly didn’t play on the single. The lack of knowledge about the band (Dadomo…NME !!!!) also makes it doubtful. Timescales for the bands also seem to merge and it seems like he is playing in 3 bands at once but maybe that’s just hazy memory. Peroxide Romance rings true but perhaps most of interest is the Moors Murderers claims.  We know from The Kid interview that both he and Vince left the band to continue The Photons and that Steve Strange continued and possibly made a demo. Tex as bassist in the band and Chrissie on guitar rings true but Topper Headon on drums is a tall claim ! Also interesting is the claim of Jet records being the label interested. Like I said its impossible to confirm or deny these claims so if anyone knows email me .   

Anyway here’s Tex’s story

BORN – July 13,1965 ….. (this is actually a lie concocted during T.V.V days)

Grew up in Crawley Sussex. In ’75’ saw girlfriends cousin play a wedding with his band BASTARD later to become THE DAMNED .Girlfriends cousin— ‘BRIAN JAMES’. School friend PORL THOMPSON sets up a covers band called EASY CURE in early 1976 later to become THE CURE. TEX joins local band THE EYE. Sees a Brighton band in local pub, fascinated by band he starts bunking off school and hitch-hiking to Brighton to hang out with HUGH CORNWALL of THE STRANGLERS. Starts attending many early punk gigs and spends more and more time in Brighton, at one point moving into a squat with JEAN JAQUES BURNEL of THE STRANGLERS. In 1977 Tex moved to London to begin his Punk career in earnest.

PEROXIDE ROMANCE……….. 1977-1978

Lenny – Vocals and all round inspirer
Dave Martin – Guitar – later to join CHELSEA
Neil – Guitar
Steve ‘Rudi’ Thompson – Saxophone, later to join X-RAY-SPEX, THE MEMBERS, LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH.
Tex – Bass
Rob – Drums, later to go to prison for armed robbery and upon release to join THE UNWANTED
Played about 80 gigs in and around London, The Vortex was the main gig spot due to them being managed by Barbara mgr. of the Vortex itself, also The Nashville, The Marquee, The Red Cow, The 100 Club, The Roxy, The Man in the moon, and various other toilets.

THE MOORS MURDERERS ….. 1978-1978

Steve Strange— Vocals, later to become, not only a complete wanker, but also leader of the New Romantic movement and his group VISAGE
Chrissy Hynde—Guitars, later to become THE PRETENDERS
Topper Headon—Drums, borrowed from THE CLASH
Tex—Bass
This band never managed to play a gig, but did achieve an unsurpassed notoriety by recording a single for Jet Records called “FREE MOIRA HINDLEY” one of Britain’s notorious Moors murder child killers, still in prison to this day. The record was banned before it was ever released, and the band appeared in The Sun Newspaper all wearing black plastic garbage bags over their heads. The British nation was appalled, Punk’s were the scourge of society at that time. Even with bags over their heads Steve and Tex were somehow recognized on Oxford street and beaten up very badly by members of the public.

THE SNIVELLING SHITS …….. 1978-1978

A mystery band, No one quite knows who was ever in this band, although it is believed to be the work of Giovanni Dodomo – a writer at N.M.E at the time. Rumored members were from Eddie & the Hot Rods, The Only Ones, and Tex has always claimed to have been a part. Released one single:TERMINAL STUPID / I CANT COME.

X-RAY-SPEX …… 1978-1979

Poly-Styrene—Vocals
Jak Airport—-Guitar, later to join CLASSIX NOUVEAUX
Paul—-Bass
Steve Rudi Thompson—saxophones
B.P Hurding— Drums, later to join CLASSIX NOUVEAUX
X-Ray-Spex was a very successful punk band with songs like Germ Free Adolescents, Artificial, Oh Bondage-Up Yours, released many singles and one album on E.M.I. Tex joined the band just as it was falling to bits ,after polystyrene had a nervous breakdown and became a Hari Krishna. Initially taking over poly’s role the band continued before paul (Bass) left. the band changed their name to AGENT ORANGE before splintering into two parts. Jak and B.P left to join CLASSIX and Rudi and Tex stayed as Agent Orange.

THE OUTPATIENTS ….. 1979-1982

Tom Newton – Bass

Nick Burt – Guitars

Paddy Carrol – Guitars

Jents Olsen – Drums

Tex Axile – Vocals

The Outpatients were the best, only one single exists, on Albion Records produced by Nicky Tesco (MEMBERS). the song was NEW JAPANESE HAIRSTYLES / CHILDREN. They played hundreds of gigs.Very theatrical. Tex used to start the set by being carried on stage nailed into a coffin, and would then proceed to sing the fist song from inside, lots of masks, props, swords, and even a huge plastic inflatable dolphin, for the song ‘Jaques Couseau’. Broke his ankle once on stage from excessive antics. Played all the spots of the time Music Machine, Marquee, Lyceum, Hope and Anchor, Moonlight Club, toured supporting THE MEMBERS, Played the 100 club supported by THE POLICE.Did a long stint at the Windsor Castle with friend JOHN ASHTONS new band THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS.Also played gigs with U.2, Ultravox,Wire, X.T.C, Headlined the fabled Roxy 48 hour Xmas party in 1980. They were way ahead of their time and should have been huge, Alas they fell apart in 1982.

A lot of this page owes a huge debt to the following web sites and are well worth a visit

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