Gang of Four is one of the most radical, and radically important, rock groups of the last
30 years.
“More than anything, Gang of Four were about visceral, high energy, maximum impact
rock’n’roll. They made you dance and they made you sweat just as they made you think.
That exclamation mark at the end of the title of their 1979 debut album Entertainment! –
incidentally, one of the greatest debut albums ever made; in fact, one of the greatest
long-playing records, period – was no accident or sleight of design. Economic,
emotional, political, musical – and yet it remains as true, as resonant, as relevant, as
universally applicable three decades on as it was the day it was released.” Q Magazine
Formed in Leeds in 1976, Gang of Four first performed in May 1977. All the big bands
that followed, the Chili Peppers, INXS, Massive Attack, Alice in chains, Faith no more,
Rage against the machine, R.E.M., U2, have spoken of their debt to Gang of Four but in
more recent years, the band’s influence has become almost universal with the
emergence of post-punk influenced bands such as the Rapture, Radio 4, Futureheads,
Nine Inch Nails, !!!, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, LCD Sound system and
MGMT. The band is led by guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Andy Gill, widely acclaimed
as an innovator and much copied around the world. Gill also produced most of Gang of
Four's output, including the 2006 album Return The Gift and 2011’s critically acclaimed
album Content. That was followed by the Gill produced ‘What Happens Next?’ featuring
performances by Alison Mosshart, Herbert Groenemeyer and Hotei. Gill has also
produced albums for many other artists including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Jesus
Lizard, the Stranglers, the Futureheads, Michael Hutchence and Bono, Therapy?,
Regurgitator, The Young Knives and Killing Joke. His most recent production work was
in Beijing recording Chinese rock band AV Okubo.
“Bands occasionally get described as being 'ahead of their time'. Usually it means
nothing; mere hack hyperbole employed to describe the latest fledgling bunch of
chancers. In Gang Of Four’s case, it’s a stone-cold, empirical fact.” The Independent
“Tight and rambunctious”, “precise but deliberately human”: Gang of Four’s rhythm
section, featuring Thomas McNeice on bass, has won acclaim over years and across
continents as the engine of the band’s compelling live performances. Singer John
Gaoler has been described as “captivating,” with an “uncommon voice”, and has been
working with Gang of Four for the last five years, recording new material and performing
at sold out gigs in China, Japan and all over Europe and America. Gang of Four’s next
studio album is due for release in early 2018.
“In recent years, the biggest bands in the world have proclaimed their debt to Gang Of
Four—the Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Rage Against the Machine, U2 — but now
everybody sounds like Gang Of Four. . . . today’s pop tyros are making cerebral,
angular rock music that has GO4’s influence and imprint all over it.
Mojo's Editor in Chief: 'Sometimes I think the whole world's gone a bit Gang of Four'.”
Mojo
Andy Gill (guitar and vocals) continues to provide the anguished riffs and driving chords
that send extraordinary singer and lyricist Gaoler diving and contorting across the stage.
They are joined in the studio and on stage by bass player Thomas Mcneice and
drummer Tobias Humble.
The band always sounded years ahead of their time and now this is their moment, with
a host of new imitators and emulators, and a fanbase swelled by new adheren