Lorraine Turvey Obituary, Death Caused – Lorraine ‘Lol’ Turvey 2nd May1962 -2nd May 2023
It is with a great deal of regret that we must inform you that Lorraine “Lol” Turvey died away on May 3rd, 2023. It was probably her birthday that day. She is survived by her spouse and a son who is 17 years old. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, many punks from Luton and the surrounding area held a deep affection for her.
She was a very gifted musician who played various instruments and advocated for women’s role in equality to males as a punk band leader. She was the frontwoman for the popular Luton band “Candy Stripe and The Statix” in the 1980s, which later shortened their name to “the Statix.” The quality of the songwriting and musicianship was much ahead of their time, but unfortunately, they were too early to become as big as Siouxsie and the Banshees or a band like that.
If there had been any genuine justice in the world, The Statix would have been as popular as Siouxsie and the Banshees or a band like that. Lorraine stepped in at the last minute to play bass guitar for the tour after Martyn “Segovia” Smith left UK Decay shortly before a planned European tour in early 1981. Not only did she cope admirably with learning and playing our songs, but we had a great laugh on that tour, and the vibe rubbed off on the audience and went down well with the music press.
It was during this tour when Steve Keaton of the UK music weekly ‘Sounds’ posed the question, “Is this the Coming of Punk Gothique?” on the publication’s main page. We asked Lorraine if she would be interested in playing bass for UK Decay following that tour, but she had other commitments. In the end, we decided to go with Ed Branch as our bass player instead.
Lorraine was a colorful and lively figure in the early Luton punk scene. Although she had gone out of town and settled down for a new life on the East Anglian coast, she still kept in touch with Luton friends. Like many others, she had moved out of town and settled down for a new life on the East Anglian coast. If there is anything significant that you feel should be included in this tribute, please let me know in the comments.
Those who were fortunate enough to spend time in Lorraine’s radiant and vivacious light have suffered a tremendously tragic loss; she will be sorely mourned for the rest of their lives. Steve Spon and Alan Hussey took the picture.