The early 60s found Frances working in PR and advertising. She claimed to have come up with the ‘cushion soft’ toilet paper slogan (she was amused by the sight of a group of stuffy men, sat round a table, trying to think up a slogan to imply you could “wipe your arse without getting shit on your hands”). The corporate world didn’t suit her though and she preferred to revel in the cultural shifts and freedoms that seemed to be happening all around. She embraced the alternative, one could almost say hippie, lifestyle. It was now The Beatles on the record player. By late 1977 the ongoing complaints caused by the punk activities emanating from the Vault, which were an acute embarrassment to the upstairs ‘straight’ Resources Centre, came to a head. When it came out that Vi was involved with one of the bands ‘downstairs’ she had to leave her post as manager, and Poison Girls moved en masse from Brighton to Burleigh House in Epping. As ‘Spitting Blood’ the first of Lance d’Boyles fanzine, put it, ‘we’re frank, we’re fearless, we’re leaving’. Now, with Poison Girls disbanded and her Community Education projects winding down, Vi was restless and looking for a new adventure, albeit at a more leisurely pace. Spurned on by medical advice to move to a warmer, drier climate, she had an open house sale of her possessions, and relocated to Southern Spain, to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Lance had moved to the area 3 years previously, and whilst on holiday visits to see him, Frances decided that she could find scope for the things she loved most. So by the end of 1993, she was in Spain living in the countryside again. She also decided to ‘retire’ Vi Subversa and to revert to Frances Sokolov. It was at this time that Vi was to form a 12 year long personal and musical partnership with Richard Famous, which, along with Lance d’Boyle, was to provide the creative heart of Poison Girls.

Frances, with Lance, played with a variety of jamming bands, centered around the ‘Bands at Bills’ sessions. She was still writing new songs and one band, ‘The Rooms’, became more serious. They rehearsed, and for a year toured the local area, with one gig in Madrid. Frances shared vocal and writing chores with Manolo, a Spanish musician and bass player, (a rare live CD of ‘The Rooms’ exists). She moved to deepest Suffolk with Philip to renovate a run down cottage and it was here they had two children, Dan (Pete Fender) in 1964 and Gemma (Gem Stone) in 1967. Her life long love of gardening also blossomed. From then on, wherever she lived, a beautiful garden would appear, and whenever the sun was out, it was in the garden you would most likely find her. Frances was an only child, born mid summers day 1935. Her parents, Sarah and Sydney Sokolov were from the Jewish immigrant community settled in the East End of London. It is thought they came from somewhere in what is now North East Poland. The actual location was always in doubt, though there is certainly a town called Sokolov in that area. Who knows? In 1989 Vi and Poison Girls were to write the music and lyrics for the Lenya Hobnoobs Theatre Groups international productions of ‘AIDS - the Musical’. She also performed in one production, according to Steven Wells, as “the wonderful sight of Vi Subversa, dressed as a vicar, holding a bible with ‘Holy Shit’ emblazoned across the front”. There were more Lenya productions and Vi continued to contribute songs.

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The first gig as Poison Girls was in the Vault in Brighton (1977). The last being a dozen years later in a very tense Zagreb (1989) immediately prior to the violent devolution of what was then still Yugoslavia. In between they played over 500 times, throughout Britain, extensively in Europe, USA and Canada. The band released 4 studio albums (12” vinyl of course), a couple of live albums, a handful of 12” and 7” singles,4 issues of Lance d’Boyles’‘The Impossible `Dream’ poetry and collage fanzine, wads of posters, lyric sheets, badges and what seemed like a million interviews. They would play local halls and music biz venues, the free Stonehenge festival and well paid Glastonbury. They were all but ignored by the mainstream music media – very little radio play (never offered even a John Peel session) and no TV recordings – but had a worldwide influence and international following of fans, friends and fellow travelers. The ‘all clear’ for children to return home to London had been sounded after one year, but her parents decided she should stay in Wales. That decision, Frances took it as a personal rejection, was the start of a lifelong struggle with her mother. Her father died when she was in her early teens, and her mother never gave up hope she would settle down with a “good Jewish man”. She ran away at least once and was by all accounts, understandably, a difficult child and left home as soon as possible. Closed Shop" / "Piano Lessons" (split 12" single with Fatal Microbes - X-N-Trix Records / Small Wonder Records) It was also at this time that one of Frances’ close friends was severely beaten, around the testicles, by the French police during the 1968 Paris Student protests. This experience stayed with her, and she was from then on wary of the brutal power of the establishment to suppress dissent. She saw protest that escalated into violence, from whichever side, as just part of ‘male’ power politics. It played into the hands of the authorities who were more than willing and able to use and abuse excessive violence. This episode reinforced Frances’ belief in non-violent direct action Her anti-authoritarian nature and ideas about alternative education led her to engage with the Brighton Free School movement.

Statement - The Complete Recordings (4 CD boxed set with accompanying lyric and history booklets - Cooking Vinyl) Though their last studio recording to date was in 1985, a number of Poison Girls compilations have since been released, and their songs frequently appear on punk anthologies.

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In the early 70s Frances’ relationship with Philip broke down and she moved to Brighton to live with Lance. Brighton of the 70s was, even then, a hotbed of radical and sexual politics. Frances became seriously involved in the Feminist movement (still under the name Womens Lib), taking part in a Sexuality conference, and setting up Womens’ consciousness raising and Womens’ therapy groups. The feminist movement at this time tended towards the extreme, and Frances had difficulties, and arguments, with the more ‘separatist’ factions. Later she was to get little support for being in a punk band, and what’s more, working with men! Frances countered by saying “I have a son, so what can I do?”