Specimen are a British band founded in the 1980s. Their music has been described as spanning many different genres of music, including glam, goth, punk and post-punk, and the band is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the goth subculture, both musically and stylistically. The band was formed in 1981 in Bristol, England by vocalist Ollie Wisdom with guitarists Jon Klein (from Europeans) and Kevin Mills (from the X-Certs).
Their first show was at a street party celebrating the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. In 1982, the band relocated to Soho, London, where Wisdom founded the infamous Batcave weekly club-night. Ian Astbury of The Cult described the band's unique hybrid of punk and glam: "Specimen were very dark, but they were as much German as they were The Addams Family. They were like a Death Bowie."
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Links to Peel[]
Peel played a couple of singles from the group in 1983, but didn't seem to play further material after that.
Shows Played[]
Returning From A Journey (12" Version)
- 1983
- 25 May 1983 (Mark Ellen sitting in): Returning (From A Journey) (12") London LONX 24
- 01 June 1983 (BFBS): Returning (From A Journey) (12") London LONX 24
- 05 November 1983 (BFBS): The Beauty Of Poisin (7") London