Though now primarily known for his quiet introspective
work with Dead Can Dance, Brendan Perry's first musical forays were in a
markedly different style. In 1977, Perry was a leading member of New Zealand’s
punk rock band The Scavengers, working under the pseudonym of Ronnie Recent. The
band was formed in 1976 at Auckland Technical Institute by graphic design
students Ken Cooke, Simon Monroe, Mike Simons and Marlon Hartas, under the name
The 1B Darlings. They were heavily influenced by British R&B, glam rock and
'60s US garage rock. In 1977, they renamed themselves The Scavengers and gave
themselves punk stage names (Cooke as Johnny Volume, Monroe as Des Truction,
Simons as Mike Lezbian and Hart as Mal Lcious). Their style mutated in the
direction of the US punk rock and proto-punk acts. In late 1977, bassist Hart
left to be replaced by Brendan Perry, who performed under the stage name
"Ronnie Recent". In March 1978, they began a residency at Zwines, a
new Auckland punk club. Simons soon left (inspiring their signature song
"Mysterex"), and Perry moved to vocals.
In 1979, the band moved to Melbourne and changed its name
to The Marching Girls. Perry was to leave the band in 1981 after the release of
their début single “True Love”, to pursue a different direction with house mate
Lisa Gerrard who was the vocalist with another Melbourne band Microfilm.
The Scavengers are regarded as New Zealand's equivalent
of Buzzcocks, with the Perry co-penned song "Mysterex" regarded as
one of the country's best and most distinctive punk rock singles. The Marching
Girls actually reached the New Zealand singles charts in 1981 with their single
"True Love." Two Scavengers tracks appeared on the 1978 Ripper
compilation AK79 and a
posthumous album was released on CD in 2003. The 2014 Record Store Day red
vinyl re-issue of The Scavengers album with additional Marching Girls tracks
reached No7 on the New Zealand charts.