Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band. Formed in September 1976, the group originally consisted of vocalist Siouxsie Sioux, bassist Steven Severin, guitarist Marco Pirroni and drummer Sid Vicious. The first recording line-up featured John McKay and Kenny Morris in place of Pirroni and Vicious. Siouxsie and Severin were members throughout the band's entire lifetime, alongside drummer Budgie who joined in 1979. and a rotating cast of guitarists including John McGeoch. The band broke up in 1996 but reformed for a tour in 2002 with a line-up of Siouxsie, Severin, Budgie, and guitarist Knox Chandler.
History
editVocalist Siouxsie Sioux (real name Susan Ballion) and bassist Steven Severin (real name Steven Bailey) formed Siouxsie and the Banshees in September 1976, debuting with a line-up including guitarist Marco Pirroni and drummer Sid Vicious (real name John Ritchie).[1] Two months after the performance, Pirroni and Vicious were replaced by Peter Fenton and Kenny Morris, respectively, although Fenton was sacked after a live show the following May due to stylistic differences with the other members.[2] By July he had been replaced by John McKay, who also contributed saxophone to the group.[3] The line-up of Siouxsie, McKay, Severin and Morris released two studio albums – 1978's The Scream and 1979's Join Hands – before McKay and Morris both left suddenly on the eve of the start of a UK tour in September 1979.[4]
The tour resumed a few weeks later with the Cure frontman Robert Smith and the Slits drummer Budgie (real name Peter Clarke) substituting for the departed members.[5] Budgie subsequently became a full-time member of the band, while John McGeoch joined as McKay's permanent replacement early the following year.[6] He became an official member in July.[7] McGeoch performed on Kaleidoscope, Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse, before he was fired at the beginning of November 1982 due to problems with alcohol abuse which resulted in his hospitalisation.[8] The vacated guitarist spot was again taken by Robert Smith.[8] The Cure frontman became a full member of the Banshees, contributing to 1984's Hyæna, before leaving three weeks before its tour due to "nervous strain and exhaustion".[9][10]
Smith was replaced by former Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers, who performed on The Thorn and Tinderbox before leaving in February 1987 due to disagreements with the rest of the band.[11] The band became a quintet in July 1987 when a new line-up was unveiled with Jon Klein on guitars alongside multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick on keyboards, cello and accordion.[12] This line-up remained stable for almost eight years, before Klein was replaced by former Psychedelic Furs guitarist Knox Chandler for the tour in support of 1995's The Rapture.[13] After a final run of live shows, Siouxsie and the Banshees disbanded in April 1996.[14] Siouxsie, Severin, Budgie and Chandler reformed the Banshees for a final tour in 2002, which spawned the live release The Seven Year Itch.[15]
Members
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siouxsie Sioux (Susan Ballion) |
|
|
all Siouxsie and the Banshees releases | |
| Steven Severin (Steven Bailey) |
| |||
| Sid Vicious (Simon John Ritchie) |
1976 (1st show only) (died 1979) | drums | none | |
| Marco Pirroni | 1976 (1st show only) | guitar | ||
| Peter Fenton | 1976–1977 | |||
| Kenny Morris | 1977–1979 |
|
| |
| John McKay |
|
| ||
| Budgie (Peter Clarke) |
|
|
all Siouxsie and the Banshees releases from Kaleidoscope (1980) onwards, except The Peel Sessions EPs | |
| Robert Smith |
|
|
| |
| John McGeoch | 1980–1982 (died 2004) |
| ||
| John Valentine Carruthers | 1984–1987 |
| ||
| Martin McCarrick | 1987–1996 |
|
| |
| Jon Klein | 1987–1994 | guitar |
| |
| Knox Chandler |
|
|
Timeline
edit
Lineups
edit| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| September 1976 |
|
none – one live performance only |
| February 1977 – May 1977 |
|
none – live performances only |
| July 1977 – September 1979 |
|
|
| September – October 1979 |
|
none – live performances only |
| Early 1980 – October 1982 |
|
|
| November 1982 – May 1984 |
|
|
| June 1984 – February 1987 |
|
|
| Mid-1987 – December 1994 |
|
|
| January 1995 – April 1996 |
|
|
| Band inactive April 1996 – April 2002 | ||
| April – August 2002 |
|
|
References
edit- ^ Peacock, Tim (13 November 2018). "'The Scream': Why Siouxsie & The Banshees' Debut Retains A Primal Power". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Paul (5 May 2017). "5 May 1977 – Siouxsie and The Banshees – Nag's Head". WycombeGigs.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ Paytress, Mark (2003). Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Authorised Biography. London, England: Sanctuary Publishing (published 21 July 2003). p. 57. ISBN 978-1860743757.
- ^ "Banshees bust-up: Walk-outs hit Siouxsie tour". New Musical Express. London, England: IPC Magazines. 15 September 1979.
- ^ "Siouxsie carries on". Melody Maker. London, England: IPC Magazines. 22 September 1979.
- ^ "John McGeoch". The Daily Telegraph. 15 March 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ Cooper, Mike (17 July 1987). "Rock Almanac" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 37. Medford Lakes, New Jersey. p. 23. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ a b Mulholland, Garry (24 October 2014). "Siouxsie And The Banshees: "We were losing our minds"". Uncut. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "The Curse of the Banshees". Smash Hits. London, England: EMAP Metro. 21 June 1984.
- ^ "Rest Cure for Robert". Number One. London, England: IPC Magazines. 9 June 1984.
- ^ Carter, Lee (20 February 1987). "Live from London Continued" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 16. Medford Lakes, New Jersey. p. 24. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ Carter, Lee (24 July 1987). "Music Now!" (PDF). The Hard Report. Medford Lakes, New Jersey. p. 38. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ Jupp, Ed (23 October 2014). "Siouxsie and the Banshees – 'Through the Looking Glass'/'Peepshow'/'Superstition'/'The Rapture' (Polydor)". God Is in the TV. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "Split in the dreamhouse". Melody Maker. London, England: IPC Magazines. 13 April 1996.
- ^ True, Chris. "The Seven Year Itch - Siouxsie and the Banshees". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2019.