Post-punk act Gang of Four is often named as an influence on many trendy new acts like Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem, The Futureheads or Bloc Party. Perhaps that inspired the ‘political punk-and-funk’ act to reunite. Gang Of Four’s original lineup (Dave Allen, Hugo Burnham, Andy Gill and Jon King) has recently been reformed for a series of UK live shows early in 2005. The success of these gigs is followed by a tour in the USA and Canada. A new album (a double CD of re-recorded old songs plus remixes by such admirers as Massive Attack and the Futureheads) is also coming soon.
The band was formed in Leeds in 1977. Especially their debut “Entertainment!” from 1979 is considered a classic. My favourites are still their first two singles ‘At home he’s a tourist’ and ‘Damaged goods’. In 1990 a nice compilation appeared, “A Brief History Of The Twentieth Century”, with their best material from 1979-1983. On Andy Gill’s website you can find a selection of mp3’s. In the 90’s Gang of Four also made a come-back, then with half of the original members and less than half of the original succes.
The set list for the UK shows completely draw on the raw, energetic songs from Gang of Four’s early albums. They don’t play their later, more dance-inspired material. Reviews which I read have been very positive. Gang of Four will perform in Amsterdam’s Melkweg on April 16 and in Antwerp on April 17.
The Gang is back
March 26, 2005 by
