Gang of Four (band)

For other uses, see Gang of Four (disambiguation).

Gang of Four
Gang of Four at Black Cat, DC in 2022
Gang of Four at Black Cat, DC in 2022
Background information
OriginLeeds, England
Genres
Years active
  • 1976–1984
  • 1990–1991
  • 1993
  • 1995
  • 2004–2020
  • 2021–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Websitegangoffour.uk

Gang of Four are an English post-punk band, formed in 1976 in Leeds.[1] The original members were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. There have been many different line-ups including, among other notable musicians, Sara Lee, Gail Ann Dorsey, and David Pajo. After a brief lull in the 1980s, different constellations of the band recorded two studio albums in the 1990s. Between 2004 and 2006 the original line-up was reunited; Gill toured using the name between 2012 and his death in 2020. In 2021, the band announced that King, Burnham, and Lee would be reuniting for a US tour in 2022 with David Pajo on guitar and Sara Lee returning to the band. They continue to perform live, including at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California; headlining Luna Fest in Coimbra, Portugal, a UK Tour in October '23, and plan to be in Australia and beyond in 2024.

The band played a stripped-down mix of punk rock, funk and dub, with a lyrical emphasis on the social and political ills of society. Gang of Four are widely considered one of the leading bands of the late 1970s/early 1980s post-punk movement. Their debut album, Entertainment!, was ranked by Rolling Stone as the fifth greatest punk album of all time[4] and at number 483 in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2004, the album was listed by Pitchfork Media as the 8th best album of the 1970s[5] and, in 2020, by Pop Matters as "Best Post Punk album ever".[6] Entertainment! continues to be influential, and was voted 49th in Rolling Stones' 2023 poll of "100 Best Debut Albums of All time".[7] Their early 80s albums (Songs of the Free and Hard) found them softening some of their more jarring qualities, and drifting towards dance-punk and disco. David Fricke of Rolling Stone described Gang of Four as "probably the best politically motivated band in rock & roll.".[8]

  1. ^ a b "Gang of Four – Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  2. ^ Gallucci, Michael (25 September 2019). "Gang of Four Take Punk in New Direction on 'Entertainment!'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  3. ^ Isler, Scott; Robbins, Ira; Azerrad, Michael. "Gang of Four". Trouser Press. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  4. ^ "40 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1970s | Features". Pitchfork.com. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  6. ^ Fitzgerald, Colin, "The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums Ever: Part 5, Joy Division to Gang of Four", PopMatters.com, 10 April 2020.
  7. ^ "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. July 2022.
  8. ^ David Fricke, Rolling Stone, 7 August 1980.