Gang of Four

Gang of Four

Gang of Four is an English post-punk band from Leeds, United Kingdom. The group forms in 1976 and is active from 1977 onwards. The original lineup consists of singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. Other members associated with the band include Busta Jones, Sara Lee, Steve Goulding, Gail Ann Dorsey, Mark Heaney, Thomas McNeice, John Sterry, Jonny Finnigan, Tobias Humble, David Pajo, Linda Pardee, Gail Greenwood and Ted Leo.

Style and influence

The band is associated with post-punk, new wave and related dance-oriented styles including alternative dance, art punk, dance-punk, disco and funk. Their music develops a stripped-down, funk-driven form of punk, with angular guitar work, dissonance and a political edge. They emerge from the Leeds art-school scene and are linked with other bands from that environment, including The Mekons and Delta 5.

Key releases and recognition

Gang of Four have a single in the British Top 60 with “At Home He’s a Tourist” in 1979, which is blacklisted by Top Of The Pops for its use of the word “rubbers”. Their debut album Entertainment! is a defining example of their dry production and forceful polemics. “Love Like Anthrax”, later re-recorded as “Anthrax”, is described as their best-known and most unusual song, combining a funk rhythm, feedback-heavy guitar introduction and split vocals. Later albums Songs Of The Free and Hard show the group moving towards a softer, more disco-influenced sound. In 2005 the original lineup reunites and releases Return The Gift, featuring new recordings of earlier songs.

Line-up changes and later work

After Solid Gold, Dave Allen leaves the band and is briefly replaced by Buster Jones, who does not record with the group, before Sara Lee joins. Allen later co-founds Shriekback, Low Pop Suicide and The Elastic Purejoy. The original Burnham/Allen/Gill/King lineup reforms in November 2004. Andy Gill dies in 2020, and he is the only original member still playing in the band at that point.

Impact

Gang of Four have a substantial influence on later post-punk, alternative rock and dance-oriented music. Their sound affects contemporary acts in the United States such as Mission Of Burma, and later inspires funk-tinged alternative rock groups in the 1980s and 1990s. Michael “Flea” Balzary of Red Hot Chili Peppers says they are a major influence on his band’s early music. The group is also credited as an early influence on techno and electronic music, and they release dance remixes of several later singles.