“I’m a blonde bombshell and I wear it well. Your momma says you go straight to hell. I’m sweet sixteen and a rebel queen and I look real hot in my tight blue jeans.” – Lyrics from “Dead End Justice” by The Runaways.
It’s well known that The Runaways vocalist Cherie Currie drew inspiration from David Bowie for her own stage persona, as did the rest of the band who aligned themselves image-wise with other musicians like Suzi Quatro and even Gene Simmons. Photographer Brad Dawber was at the Starwood in West Hollywood one summer night in 1976 and would capture Currie and The Runaways performance during which Currie would end up covered in fake blood.
“Rodney Bingenheimer introduced the band that night,” Dawber told Dangerous Minds. “After the show, we went to Bingenheimer’s English Disco, and it was another scene there. Band guys, groupies, wannabes, etc. Sometimes Iggy Pop would make an appearance.”
As far as the theatrics behind the bloodbath are concerned, here’s a little backstory on the concept: During the band’s set, Currie “pretended” to hurt her ankle during the song “Dead End Justice.” Jackie Fox (Fuchs) and Lita Ford then used their guitars to “shoot” Currie, following up the fictional assault by “stomping” and “kicking” Currie while she was lying on the stage floor. During the for-show skirmish Currie would periodically puncture the blood packs she was armed with, and when she finally stood up after her beating, she looked like something out of a horror movie. The girls pulled off this show-stopper pretty regularly during “Dead End Justice” but nobody ever managed to capture it as vividly as Dawber.
(Photos by Brad Dawber, via Dangerous Minds)
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