gang of four
Nostalgia Is Not Gang of Four’s Passion
Being the lead singer of a strident rock band has virtues both public and personal. In his role as frontman for the perpetually influential post-punk unit Gang of Four, Jon King has generated his share of both intellectual napalm and rock history bona fides. But he seems positively giddy about his band’s latest acknowledgment. “Well, this is one of the greatest moments in my life,” he begins, sitting down with SPIN via Zoom, casual and bespectacled yet dapper in a blue zip-up sweater and dark pants. “There’s a book by John Niven called Kill Your Friends that is set in the music business of the ‘80s. A great book. There are people in it like our former manager Chris Briggs and [major-label executive] Tracey Bennett and all these other people. The story is about a fictional A&R man who t...
Gang of Four Announce 2022 North American Tour
Gang of Four announced they are embarking on a tour of North America next year, their first since co-founder and lead guitarist Andy Gill died in early 2020. Performing music of their record-breaking catalog from ’77-’83, the post-punkers will hit tracks off Entertainment! (1979), Solid Gold (1981), and Songs of the Free (1982). The tour’s line-up will not include founding member Dave Allen due to personal reasons, but Jon King and Hugo Burnham will be alongside bassist Sara Lee and guitarist David Pajo, who will replace Gill. Tickets for the tour go on sale Friday, Oct. 22 on Gang of Four’s website. Gill died last February due to pneumonia and multiple organ failure, yet his widow suggested it was because of the coronavirus. An all-star compilation featuring...
Helmet Share Cover of Gang of Four’s ‘In the Ditch’
Helmet’s cover of Gang of Four’s “In the Ditch” is the fourth single to hail from the upcoming album The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four. This is Helmet’s first new song since 2016. Gill, who died in early 2020, was a fan of Helmet from their early days and had hoped to collaborate with them on a future music project. Page Hamilton from Helmet explained his involvement in the project via a statement, noting: “My old pal Henry Rollins reissued Entertainment! and Solid Gold back in the 90’s and asked me to do liner notes for Solid Gold. I don’t remember what I wrote but I know it was glowing, corny and fanboy. “Their songs, feel, energy, inventiveness made an indelible imprint on my musical soul,” he furthered. “All of our peers that formed bands in ...
Warpaint Share Their Interpretation of Gang of Four’s ‘Paralysed’
Warpaint has shared their interpretation of the Gang of Four tune “Paralysed,” which is the third song released ahead of The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four collection that is due out May 28. It’s the third cut taken from the 20-track, two-CD/LP compilation album featuring Gang of Four songs done by major artists, and features original artwork by Damien Hirst. <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,”height”:”270″,”playlist”:”10315″,”inviewBottomOffset”:”105px”} }); –> Warpaint’s Jenny Lee, who produced he...
Gang of Four Box Set Gets New Release Date, Share Previously Unreleased Demo
Influential post-punk lineup Gang of Four will put out Gang of Four: 77-81, a limited-edition box set of early work. Ahead of the release, “Damaged Goods” and a demo of the unreleased song “Elevator” have been shared. Gang of Four: 77-81 includes Entertainment! and Solid Gold (both remastered from the original analog tapes), a singles LP, and a double-LP of the never-officially-released Live at American Indian Center 1980. The collection arrives on March 12 in LP and CD editions. The collection was originally supposed to arrive in 2020 but was delayed because of production issues. Additionally, the package includes two new badges, a C90 cassette tape compiling 26 never-before-issued outtakes, rarities and studio demos from Entertainment! and Solid Gold, and a 100-...
Tom Morello and Serj Tankian Collaborate on Cover of Gang of Four’s ‘Natural’s Not In It’
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian joined forces on a cover of Gang of Four’s “Natural’s Not In It,” the first single to emerge from The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four. The tune, which first appeared on the Gang of Four’s 1979 debut LP, Entertainment! sees Tankian and Morello amplifying the original single’s edgy urgency. The song starts with “the problem of leisure” lyric that gives the upcoming set its name. “Andy Gill was one of a handful of artists in history who changed the way guitars are played,” Morello said in a statement. “His band Gang of Four were just incendiary and completely groundbreaking with Andy’s confrontational, unnerving and sublime playing at the forefront. His jag...
Tom Morello, Serj Tankian and More Contribute to Gang of Four Tribute Album
An all-star Gang of Four and Andy Gill tribute album is on the way. Titled The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, the collection will be a double album of songs that are reinterpreted and recorded by famous fans of the band. The first single, “Natural’s Not In It,” hails from Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian. It will be released on Gill’s birthday, Jan. 1, 2021. A complete track listing will be announced next month. “Andy Gill was one of a handful of artists in history who changed the way guitars are played,” Morello said in a statement. “Gang of Four were just incendiary and completely groundbreaking with Andy’s confrontational, unnerving and sublime playing at the forefron...
Gang of Four Share 14 Live Show Tracks in New Archival Playlist
Gang of Four have released a number of the best live performances in a specially curated playlist on Spotify called Matador Picks: Gang of Four (Live). Part of a new archival project with Matador Records, the 14 tracks are from shows that took place from London and Amsterdam to New York and New Orleans between 1979 and 1984 — when the band was at the peak of their popularity. Fans will also be able to stream the Leeds, UK, band’s first three albums — Entertainment! (1979), Solid Gold (1981), and Songs of the Free (1982). In February, founding member Andy Gill died, which sparked an outpouring of emotions from the music community. Following Gill’s passing, the surviving members paid tribute to him by releasing This Heaven Gives Me a Migraine, which includes songs Gill worked on during his f...
