The excessive, drug-fueled
Pink Fairies grew out of
the Deviants, a loose-knit band formed in 1967 by members of the West London hippie commune Ladbroke Grove. Initially dubbed the Social Deviants and consisting primarily of vocalist
Mick Farren, guitarist
Paul Rudolph, bassist
Duncan Sanderson, and drummer Russell Hunter, the group also featured satellite members Marc Bolan,
Steve Peregrine Took, and players from the band
Group X, later rechristened
Hawkwind. After three noisy, psychedelic albums and a U.S. tour,
Farren exited to become a music journalist; the remaining
Deviants returned to London, where they recruited vocalist and former
Pretty Things drummer
Twink (born John Alder), who suggested the name
Pink Fairies. Despite gaining a reputation for mythic debauchery, the group remained largely an underground sensation before signing to Polydor and issuing its 1971 debut,
Never Never Land, a manic, decadent album featuring the live staples "Do It" and "Uncle Harry's Last Freak Out."
Shortly after the record's release,
Twink departed, and
the Pink Fairies continued on as a trio for 1972's
What a Bunch of Sweeties; recorded with assistance from
the Move's Trevor Burton, the album reached the Top 50 on the U.K. charts, and was the group's most commercially successful effort. Soon,
Rudolph exited to become a full-time member of
Hawkwind, and was replaced by
UFO's
Larry Wallis for 1973's hard rock excursion
Kings of Oblivion.
Twink rejoined
the Pink Fairies' ranks a short time later, but the group nonetheless disbanded before the end of the year. In 1975, the
Kings of Oblivion-era lineup reunited for a one-off London gig; an enthusiastic response led to the official re-formation of the nucleus of
Rudolph,
Sanderson, and Hunter, who added former
Chilli Willi & the Red Hot Peppers vocalist
Martin Stone before again disbanding in 1977. A decade later, the original lineup -- minus
Rudolph, but including
Wallis -- reunited for the album
Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em before calling it quits yet one more time. ~ Jason Ankeny