HER pretty face adorned the cover of the New Musical Express and Smash Hits, but Beki Bondage always kept her red thigh boots planted firmly on terra firma.

Now, after years of being asked to perform her old material, Beki has re-formed a fresh version of Vice Squad, as she continues to spread her raucous punk rock message to the world.

“Every day kids pick up guitars because of punk, and most importantly they question the world around them,” said veteran singer Beki, who brings Vice Squad to Darwen’s Library Theatre next week.

“Punk changed things for a lot of people, it gave us a voice and a sense of belonging, but it also enabled us to challenge conformity and society in general.

“We’d get threatened and beaten up for the way we wore our hair and how we dressed.

“Punk bands were often banned from playing at all. Now you see kids with spiky hair and ripped, designer jeans as a fashion and a new generation is discovering the original punk music.

“Punk is just as relevant today than it was in 1977 because our society is broken.”

Vice Squad will be supported by Burnley punk legends The Not Sensibles, who enjoyed a hit with their single I’m In Love With Margaret Thatcher.

“Our country is rotting because of the huge divide between rich and poor,” added Beki.

“Today’s Britain is arguably worse off than Thatcher’s Britain because we have some sections of the national media encouraging uneducated, low paid workers to look down on the unemployed and blame them for the state of the country rather than blaming the bankers and tax evading corporations.

“We are losing out on much potential talent because of society’s divide.”

Beki was a teenager in Bristol when she clubbed together with four friends to release Vice Squad’s first single – Last Rockers EP –- on their own Riot City Records.

It rocketed to number one in the Indie Charts, selling 25,000 copies.

“Our first gig was at Bristol University, and we’d only had a couple of rehearsals in our bassist’s mum’s garage,” she recalled.

“I got drunk on two half pints of lager and black – but was the big hero at school the next day. Plus all the old punk twenty something guys stopped ignoring me.

“At the start, it was our own inability to play and sing properly that created our unique and sometimes quite horrible sound.”

Beki added: “It definitely gets harder to earn a living from music every day and the economics of keeping a band together and on the road is a nightmare.

“It is the main reasons why most musicians give up or have to compromise and get a normal job to finance their music career.

“I’ve always looked after myself and paid my own bills.

“In fact it’s me that pays all the band’s bills.”

  • Vice Squad with support from The Notsensibles, Darwen Library Theatre, Saturday, June 7. Details from 01254 706006