Siouxsie & the Banshees
\n\nCategory:Goth
Formation
\nSiouxsie and the Banshees were originally formed in order to fill an empty space on the bill at the first 'international punk rock festival' organised by Malcolm McLaren at the 100 Club in London's Oxford Street on September 20th, 1976.
The initial line up consisted of 'Bromley Contingent' members Siouxsie Sioux (real name Susan Janet Ballion), Steve Severin (aka Steve Spunker/Havoc), Marco Pirroni (later of Adam and the Ants and Rema Rema) and Sid Vicious (real name John Simon Ritchie), later of the Sex Pistols, on drums. On this occasion their set consisted of a lengthy and chaotic unrehearsed improvisation of "The Lord's Prayer", which also included lines from songs like "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", "Smoke On The Water" and "Twist And Shout".
"God it was awful" and "excruciating!" were two eye-witness accounts of their performance. This was not a unanimous view, however. A recording of the piece which circulates, though of relatively poor quality, demonstrates that the group gave a performance which commanded and repaid attention.
Style and Notoriety
\nSiouxsie courted much controversy in the early days due to her dress, often wearing 'bondage' clothes and fetish wear. She was also heavily critisised for wearing swastika armbands, although always maintained that this was intended to be for 'shock value' rather than any form of display of political sympathies.
The infamous Bill Grundy interview with the Sex Pistols, which led to notoriety for the Sex Pistols in December 1976, was sparked when TV presenter Grundy attempted to 'chat up' Siouxsie on prime time TV.
History
\nBy February 1977 the Banshees were taking themselves seriously as a musical unit. They recruited Kenny Morris and Pete Fenton to their line up, which was by now gigging regularly and had attracted a solid fan base. Fenton was subsequently sacked and replaced in July 1977 by John McKay.It was not until 1978 that they finally obtained a record contract with Polydor Records, where upon they released their first single "Hong Kong Garden" (which reached the top 10 in the UK), followed soon after by the album The Scream.
Their second album, Join Hands, was released in 1979, and included a lengthy version of the aforementioned "Lord's Prayer" track. However, two days into a tour promoting this album, Morris and McKay unexpectedly quit the band. They were hastily replaced by Robert Smith (whose band The Cure were the Banshees' support for the tour) on guitar and Budgie (real name Peter Clarke, formerly of The Slits and Big In Japan) on drums. After the completion of the tour, Budgie stayed on as the Banshees' permanent drummer, whilst John McGeoch, formerly of Magazine joined as guitarist.
\n(the story from hereon in still to be written, something more substantial than the following would be nice...)
\nWhile probably best known by the mainstream for songs like "Kiss them For Me", Siouxsie and the Banshees has done everything from punk (in the 1970s) to goth to new wave. How to classify this band depends on what era/song/album one is talking about.
Siouxsie and her husband Budgie also started a 'side project' band called The Creatures.
LP Discography
\nThe Scream\nPolydor, 1978 \n# Pure\n# Jigsaw Feeling\n# Overground\n# Carcass\n# Helter Skelter\n# Mirage\n# Metal Postcard\n# Nicotine Stain\n# Suburban Relapse\n# Switch
Join Hands\nPolydor, 1979 \n# Poppy Day\n# Regal Zone\n# Placebo Effect\n# Icon\n# Premature Burial\n# Playground Twist\n# Mother-Oh Mein Papa\n# The Lord's Prayer
Kaleidoscope\n1980 \n# Happy House\n# Tenant\n# Trophy\n# Hybrid\n# Clockface\n# Lunar Camel\n# Christine\n# Desert Kisses\n# Red Light\n# Paradise Place\n# Skin
Juju\nPolydor, 1981 \n# Spellbound\n# Into the Light\n# Arabian Knights\n# Halloween\n# Monitor\n# Night Shift\n# Sin in My Heart\n# Head Cut\n# Voodoo Dolly
Once Upon A Time: The Singles\nPolydor, 1981 \n# Hong Kong Garden\n# Mirage\n# The Staircase (Mystery)\n# Playground Twist\n# Love In A Void\n# Happy House\n# Christine\n# Israel\n# Spellbound\n# Arabian Knights
A Kiss In The Dreamhouse\nPolydor, 1982 \n# Cascade\n# Green Fingers\n# Obsession\n# She's a Carnival\n# Circle\n# Melt!\n# Painted Bird\n# Cocoon\n# Slowdive
Nocturne (live)\n1983 \n# Israel\n# Dear Prudence\n# Paradise Place\n# Melt!\n# Cascade\n# Pulled to Bits\n# Night Shift\n# Sin in My Heart\n# Slowdive\n# Painted Bird\n# Happy House\n# Switch\n# Spellbound\n# Helter Skelter\n# Eve White, Eve Black\n# Voodoo Dolly
Hyaena\n1984 \n# Dazzle\n# We Hunger\n# Take Me Back\n# Belladonna\n# Swimming Horses\n# Dear Prudence\n# Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man\n# Running Town\n# Pointing Bone\n# Blow the House Down
Tinderbox\n1986\n# Candyman\n# The Sweetest Chill\n# This Unrest\n# Cities in Dust\n# Cannons\n# Party's Fall\n# 92 Degrees\n# Lands End
Through The Looking Glass\nGeffen, 1987 \n# This Town Ain't Big Enough\n# Hall of Mirrors\n# Trust in Me\n# This Wheel's on Fire\n# Strange Fruit\n# You're Lost Little Girl\n# The Passenger\n# Gun\n# Sea Breezes\n# Little Johnny Jewel
Peepshow\nGeffen, 1988 \n# Peek-a-Boo\n# The Killing Jar\n# Scarecrow\n# Carousel\n# Burn-Up\n# Ornaments of Gold\n# Turn to Stone\n# Rawhead and Bloodybones\n# The Last Beat of My Heart\n# Rhapsody
The Peel Sessions\n1991\n# Love in a Void\n# Mirage\n# Metal Postcard\n# Suburban Relapse\n# Hong Kong Garden\n# Overground\n# Carcass\n# Helter Skelter
Superstition\nGeffen, 1991\n# Kiss Them for Me\n# Fear (of the Unknown)\n# Cry\n# Drifter\n# Little Sister\n# Shadowtime\n# Silly Thing\n# Got to Get Up\n# Silver Waterfalls\n# Softly\n# The Ghost in You
Twice Upon A Time: The Singles\n1992 \n# Fireworks\n# Slowdive\n# Melt!\n# Dear Prudence\n# Swimming Horses\n# Dazzle\n# Overground\n# Cities in Dust\n# Candyman\n# This Wheel's on Fire
- The Passenger\n# Peek-a-Boo\n# The Killing Jar\n# The Last Beat of My Heart (Live)\n# Kiss Them for Me\n# Shadowtime\n# Fear (of the Unknown Remix)\n# Face to Face
The Rapture\n1995 \n# O Baby\n# Tearing Apart\n# Stargazer\n# Fall From Grace\n# Not Forgotten\n# Sick Child\n# Lonely One\n# Falling Down\n# Forever\n# The Rapture\n# The Double Life\n# Love Out Me
See Also:
Gothic rock
References:
Bill Grundy Interview
External Links
\n*UntiedUndone is a fan site with lots of information and images of Siouxsie and the Banshees
- Fantazee is Vernette Butler's excellent Siouxsie site, containing a complete history, official and bootleg discographies and much more.
Category:Early punk groups\nCategory:British musical groups
