The Gang of Four’s DNA has been interwoven throughout a genre almost created for them. When the band released their first album “Entertainment,” little did they know then how it would come to influence the generations that followed.
Undoubtedly, their ’77-’83 years, of which are the focus of this UK tour, are their most iconic. It’s testament to their longevity that they play to packed out venues. The line up for the tour includes original members Jon King, Hugo Burnham and Sara Lee (who joined the band in ’81). It’s been over three years since original guitarist Andy Gill passed away and although the passing of such an incredibly inspirational icon is lamentably, he has been replaced by the incredible talents of David Pajo. The band was reformed by King, Burnham and Lee and Pajo was drafted in to tour the USA in 2022. The tour was put together to celebrate the release of the Grammy nominated box set of the ’77-’81 albums.
First up were Loose Articles. The band have been on a mission over the past year and are a fantastic addition to the tour. Their feisty feminist funky post punk approach has real venom behind it. Calling out misogyny and government mismanagement, the band have a growing audience to reach out to. This has all resulted in an invite by Dave Grohl to join them as support for Foo Fighters in Manchester next year but meantime, they have 7 dates with Gang of Four to hone their craft. “Chaos” and “Kick Like A Girl” prove they put their money where their mouth is as they belt out 9 songs for the busy La Belle Angele audience. It’s not all fiery angst as latest single “Sinead Loves Bitcoin” proves. The quirky Fall-esque ditty shows the band have a playful side. The band have released a raft of singles since 2019 and will no doubt continue to elevate their meteoric rise based on what I heard.
Miki Berenyi once said,“I miss the excitement and energy of playing live,” Edinburgh got to share in her exuberating performance. It’s ironic that the band where she made her mark was called Lush, because that would best describe her performance. The music and atmosphere created by her trio was simply that. After a long sabbatical from music and playing live, there’s no hint of that in Edinburgh. Having played in the O2 Academy in Leeds the night before, you could see the joy in Miki’s face being able to connect with the crowd in the smaller venue, sometimes bigger is not better. There’s no drummer behind the kit that looms behind them, the beats come from a backing track but that certainly didn’t detract from the audio ambience created by the band. The ethereal sound of Miki’s 12 string was supplemented by KJ ‘Moose’ McKillop’s wonderful array of pedals and his masterful musicianship.
Miki endeared herself to the crowd when she referred to her wearing a “Loose Article,” not the band that had preceded but her dress. A black onesie dress but she referred it to her “mumsy.” All tongue in cheek and far removed from those distant shoegaze days. The standout songs for me were the Piroshka numbers. “Everlastingly Yours” and “V.O.” were well received. The last two songs of the set actually had the groove and feel of what would follow. “Big I Am” and “Baby Talk” would both sit well in a compilation of post-punk songs that included Gang of Four, a very fitting way to transition. Great to see Miki playing live again and we expect to see more.
40+ years have transpired since Gang of Four brought their post-punk funk to unsuspecting audiences expecting something more basic, but their diatribe of diabolical political dabbling’s is more relevant than ever. The bleak late 70’s and the failings of that government are being revisited by the haphazard mess that are in power now. Gang of Four would always court controversy but those days seem distant now as more liberal attitudes have become the norm. Jon King seemed larger than life as he turned back the years and burst into life bounding across the stage and dropping to his knees throughout the band’s powerful performance. The sublime guitar work came to the fore during the opening number “Return the Gift.” David Pajo seemed to be channelling Andy Gill with his guitar work as it was replicated impeccably. Pajo also had that thousand yard stare Gill adopted in his on-stage persona. Having Sara Lee and Hugo Burnham on bass and drums gave the performance real credibility. Their faithful renditions of those early songs was truly incredible. The raw energy of “Entertainment,” the bands impressive influential debut album formed the foundation of the set, but it was dispersed with the bands follow up albums of which Sara Lee was instrumental in developing the bands sound after she joined. Lee’s bass and Burnham’s rock solid rhythms underpinned the eclectic electric guitar. King’s energy seemed boundless as he gyrated to the music only taking respite during “Paralysed,” where he left the stage to leave Pajo on main vocal duties. King would return to marvel at Pajo who stole the limelight during “Love Like Anthrax.” The feedback driven B-side from the single released on Edinburgh’s FAST label showed Pajo’s prowess not only as a disciple of Gill’s guitar work, but how much of a showman he could be as he wielded his Fender like a prop by crashing the headstock on the ceiling and running the neck across mic stands and on top of his amp to continue the feedback. King took the limelight to another level as he destroyed a microwave on stage during “Army” then full on flamboyance with “I Parade Myself” by swinging his mic by the cable throughout the song. Ts Burnham provided some fantastic backing vocals keeping it in the family. The next three songs for me were pure entertainment [sic] as the band flexed their musical muscles with three of their best songs. “Tourist” for me is the epitome of what makes the Gang of Four so great. The throbbing bass and cutting chords strike me right to the core. “Natural’s Not in It” is a quintessential track and “I Found That Essence Rare” lyrical and musical content are timeless. The main set finished off with “To Hell With Poverty,” a band at the top of their game when they released it and still sounding urgent.
After a short break, the band returned to play the song the crowd had all been waiting for, the A side of their first single released on the Edinburgh’s FAST label. A bitter sweet moment for the song that was the catalyst for the post-punk genre in 1978, it signalled the end of the gig. There was a great mix of fans both young and old and the feeling of pure joy of being immersed in the music for 90 minutes.
Words and pictures: Raymond Thomson @punk_4rt