Siouxsie & the Banshees | Artist
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed 1976 in London by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Initially associated with the punk scene, the band rapidly evolved to create a form of post-punk music full of rhythmic and sonic experimentation. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts such as Joy Division, the Cure, the Smiths, Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey and Radiohead. Siouxsie and Severin met at early Sex Pistols gigs. When one of the bands scheduled to play the 100 Club Punk Festival, organised by Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, pulled out at the last minute, Siouxsie suggested that she and Severin play, even though they had no band name or additional members. Two days later on the 20th Sept 1976 the pair appeared at the festival with two borrowed musicians, Marco Pirroni on guitar and John Simon Ritchie aka Sid Vicious on drums. Their set consisted of a 20-minute improvisation based on "The Lord's Prayer". After a few months practice and new members Kenny Morris (drums) and John McKay (guitar) the group made their first live television appearance on Tony Wilson's show So it Goes. Soon after they recorded their first John Peel session for BBC radio and appeared on the front cover of UK weekly Sounds magazine. Their first single, "Hong Kong Garden" reached the top 10 in the UK and their excellent debut album The Scream, released in November 1978, attracted critical praise. Here was the beginnings of a post-punk sound of jagged guitars, melodic bass-line and spatial drums, orchestrated by the expert production of Steve Lillywhite. Morris and McKay quit after the first album and Budgie, formerly drummer with The Slits, was recruited along with Robert Smith of The Cure as a fill-in guitarist. When former Magazine guitarist John McGeoch joined, Smith returned to The Cure but would again play with the Banshees during 1982-84. With their lineup settled, the band went on to record a string of superb albums: Kaleidoscope ('80), Juju ('81), A Kiss in the Dreamhouse ('82), Nocturne ('83) and Tinderbox ('86). There are also several good compilations of early EPs and live performances, of which At The BBC is most highly recommended. Siouxsie has also released a solo album and teamed up with Budgie in a band called The Creatures.
Artist Website: siouxsieandthebanshees.co.uk
Featured Albums: Siouxsie & The Banshees
Related Artists: Siouxsie, The Cure, The Creatures
