About Prima Voice
PRIMA VOICE / ACCUSED comprised Mick Whitlock (lead vocals and guitar), Mike Butcher (lead vocals and keyboards), Martin “Len” Legname (bass), Mike Bienvenu (keyboards), Dean Rigler (Accused drummer), and Mike “Plim” Cullen (Prima Voice drummer).
1981 - Coaster magazine readers’ poll votes “THE ACCUSED” best band in Bournemouth and vocalist Mick Whitlock “favourite personality,” which in itself was more than a mild understatement. Mick’s larger-than-life personality pervaded both his unique singing style and his accomplished guitar playing. The band’s strength lay, however, in the powerful Butcher / Whitlock songwriting partnership. Butcher’s melodic, keyboard-orientated style was perfectly foiled by Whitlock’s jarringly lysergic lyrics and vocal style.
1982 - The Accused contribute “Run for Your Life” to Coaster magazine’s 1982 “Low Noise High Output” compilation cassette of local bands.
1983 - The Accused reinvent themselves as PRIMA VOICE in an attempt to be at the cutting edge of the new electronic music dance revolution. They sign to Mark Eden’s new Players Music production company and record an album. Mike Butcher is not involved in the sessions, having been incarcerated at Her Madge’s Pleasure, Dorchester, after attempting to outrun the police in a car full of drugs and, obviously, failing. Butcher is replaced by classically trained piano player Mike Bienvenu.
1984 - “Kings & Queens” is licensed for single release in Europe, spawning several cover versions. An album with the working title “Death Rattle a Go Go” is also licensed for the Benelux region and released by ARS Records as “The Album.” The band undertake a residency in an alternative music club in South Africa. They leave valuable equipment behind on their return to make space in their baggage for copious quantities of drugs and other paraphernalia.
Where Are They Now?
Mick Whitlock - having absconded to Herefordshire to train as a stone mason, sadly died of cancer in 1998, leaving several wives and children.
Mike Bienvenu - likewise succumbed to the big “C” in 1997 following several years of playing in smoky piano bars in Bangkok.
Mike Butcher - went to India and got lost in a lysergic haze, currently living in Cork, Ireland.
Martin Legname - still alive and still gigging in 2020, when last heard from.
Mike “Plim” Cullen - still alive and gigging as of April 2026.
Featured Videos
Music videos embedded directly from YouTube.
Feature Documentary
A deeper look into Prima Voice - performance, process, and story.