Gang of Four are an English post-punk band founded by guitarist Andy Gill and singer Jon King in 1976,[1] the band originally consisted King, Gill, drummer Hugo Burnham and bassist Dave Wolfson,[2] who was soon replaced by Dave Allen.[3] The band currently consists of King (who was a consistent member, except for between 2012 and 2021) and Burnham (who most recently rejoined in 2021), guitarist Dave Pajo (since 2021) and bassist Gail Greenwood (since 2024).
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History
editKing and Gill founded the band in 1976 in Leeds,[1] the two were joined by drummer Hugo Burnham and bass guitarist Dave Wolfson.[2] After two or three gigs,[2] Wolfson was replaced by Dave Allen.[3] After releasing two albums, Allen left in 1981. He was temporarily replaced by Busta "Cherry" Jones,[4] before Sara Lee joined as a permanent replacement. Burnham left in 1983, his replacement was Steve Goulding.[5] The band broke up in 1984.[6]
King and Gill reunited Gang of Four on three occasions in the 1990s, first to record Mail (1991), which featured Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and drummers Blair Cunningham, Frank Tontoh, Martyn Ford, Neil Wilkinson, Steve Monti. And again in 1995, recording Shrinkwrapped with bassists Phil Butcher and Dean Garcia, and drummers Dave Axford and again Steve Monti.
In 2004, the classic line-up of King, Gill, Burnham and Allen reunited for a UK tour in 2005.[7][8] Burnham departed again in late 2005 to continue to be a college professor, he was replaced by Mark Heaney.[9][10] Allen was also replaced by Thomas McNeice in 2008.[11] Founding member Jon King left in 2011 after disagreements with Gill, he was replaced by John Sterry.[12] Heaney was also replaced by Jonny Finnegan in 2014,[11] who was replaced by Tobias Humble in 2016.[13] Gill died in February 2020, ending this incarnation of the band.[14]
In October 2021, King reformed the band with Burnham, former bassist Sara Lee and Slint guitarist Dave Pajo.[15][16] Allen did not return as "he didn’t want to do anything any more".[17] Lee was replaced by Linda Pardee in January 2024,[18] and then by Gail Greenwood in July.[19]
Members
editCurrent members
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jon King |
|
|
all releases until Content (2011) | |
| Hugo Burnham |
|
|
| |
| David Pajo | 2021–present |
|
none to date | |
| Gail Greenwood | 2024–present |
|
Former members
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Gill |
|
|
all releases to date | |
| Dave Wolfson | 1976 | bass | none | |
| Dave Allen |
|
|
| |
| Busta "Cherry" Jones | 1980 (died 1995) | none | ||
| Sara Lee |
|
| ||
| Steve Goulding | 1983–1984 | drums | none | |
| Gail Ann Dorsey | 1990–1991 |
|
| |
| Mark Heaney | 2006–2013 |
|
| |
| Thomas McNeice | 2008–2020 |
|
all releases from Content (2011) to Happy Now (2019) | |
| John "Gaoler" Sterry | 2012–2020 |
|
What Happens Next (2015) | |
| Jonny Finnegan | 2014–2016 |
| ||
| Tobias Humble | 2016–2020 | Happy Now (2019) | ||
| Linda Pardee | 2023–2024 |
|
none |
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Timeline
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Gang of Four Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & Mor..." AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Lester, Paul (2008). Gang of Four: Damaged Gods. Omnibus Press. pp. 25–26. ISBN 978-1-84772-245-4.
- ^ a b "Red Set: A History of Gang of Four". Repeaterbooks.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "Gang of Four half dead from playing those live shows - Newspapers.com". web.archive.org. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (27 October 1983). "ROCK: BRITAIN'S GANG OF FOUR". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (25 April 1984). "THE POP LIFE; THE GANG OF FOUR'S FAREWELL VISIT". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (7 October 2005). "Gang of Four, Return the Gift". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "Gang Of Four Interview". www.vgmusic.f9.co.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Lynskey, Dorian (20 January 2011). "Gang of Four: Old punks, new Content". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "Mark Heaney — www.gtvone.com". simon pollock. 27 September 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ a b Power, Bobby (21 October 2015). "Andy Gill and the One-Man Legacy of Gang of Four". flagpole. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Kaye, Ben (20 March 2017). "Gang of Four frontman John Sterry shares new solo song as Billionaire, "World Loves a Trier" -- listen". Consequence. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Peters, Doug (13 November 2019). "Concert Review: Gang Of Four, Auckland New Zealand, 2019". Ambient Light. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (1 February 2020). "Andy Gill, influential guitarist with Gang of Four, dies aged 64". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Pearis, Bill (17 October 2021). "Gang of Four teasing something, share picture ft Jon King, Hugo Burnham, Sara Lee & David Pajo". brooklynvegan. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Pearis, Bill (18 October 2021). "Gang of Four (with David Pajo) announce 2022 tour of '77-'83 material". brooklynvegan. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Burgess, Mick (25 September 2023). "Gang Of Four singer Jon King on Andy Gill's legacy and why the time is right for more Entertainment |". Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Gang of Four [@gangof4official] (17 January 2024). "We'll be joined by Boston-based Linda Pardee from Orbit and The Chelsea Curve on bass guitar" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Gang of Four [@gangof4official] (26 July 2024). "Joining the band (Jon King, Hugo Burnham and David Pajo) on bass guitar for this show will be Gail Greenwood" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via Twitter.