Simone Thomas

Simone Thomas was another member of the Bromley Contingent and again stunningly photogenic. Played violin in the Banshees for a couple of months (God help us! That’s just what the Banshees needed) She said “I wasn’t really a fan … I just wore the clothes to fit my image.”

Simone enters the scene in 1975 after Bertie Marshall (Berlin) sees her by chance in a department store and struck by her looks, follows her, engages her in conversation and they become friends. Their circle of friends would include Siouxsie and what would become known as the Bromley Contingent.

…a black girl with platinum blonde hair, wearing a plastic mac and smoking multi coloured Russian cigarettes….She looked so original, all black and gold, a huge painted red smile that cracked her face…Simone and I had several things in common, love of David Bowie being one of them and dressing up… Berlin Bromley – Bertie Marshall

Simone was 16 at the time and said of those heady days in the book Punk: The Illustrated History Of A Music Revolution – Adrian Boot & Chris Salewicz:

My life revolved around David Bowie and Roxy Music and dressing up and going to gigs. I’d met Siouxsie at a Roxy concert and dressing up and going to gigs. She was from the same part of London as me and she started going out with Steve Severin who was part of the same scene. Berlin was also a very good friend of mine who used to have really good parties. We all went to the 100 Club together to watch Siouxsie. We also used to go to Louise’s, a lesbian club in Soho…we used to talk a lot  because we were all speeding at the time – everyone was…we became known as the Bromley contingent after the Pistols played Orpington College and they came to one of Berlin’s parties. We were the first fans – in fact. I wasn’t really a fan but I just went along with it…I felt I was in a movie and just wore the clothes to fit my image. But inside I didn’t feel the part.

For a couple of months after they (Siouxsie) played the 100 Club I was in the Banshees – I used to play classical violin. Sid would be there at rehearsals, doing weird things with razors to himself, drinking tequila.

She didn’t think much of the Sex Pistols as people, hoped her dad wasn’t watching when she appeared with the band and others on the Bill Grundy ITV interview and recalls McLaren paying them to go to the airport when the Pistols went to Holland to look like they had a lot of fans.

Given what she said above, it’s no surprise she soon disappeared off the scene in late 1977 though not the Bromley Contingent who were her circle of friends.

Christopher the photographer who took the beautiful lead picture recalls

When I met her in 1979 she was a very polite and thoroughly nice person. She was still very much involved with the Bromley contingent. I lost touch with her in 1980 and have often wondered what she did next.

Last seen doing bit part TV/film work around 2017 to support her ill husband.

Here she is caught on footage from a German Documentary from 1976 with Siouxsie & Severin.

Simone Thomas is played by actress Razan Nassar in Danny Boyle’s ‘Pistol’ series.

---

---