Gang of Four are an English post-punk band founded by guitarist Andy Gill and singer Jon King in 1976, [1] the band originally consisted King, Gill, drummer Hugo Burnham and bassist Dave Wolfson, [2] who was soon replaced by Dave Allen. [3] The band currently consists of King (who was a consistent member, except for between 2012 and 2021) and Burnham (who most recently rejoined in 2021), guitarist Dave Pajo (since 2021) and bassist Gail Greenwood (since 2024).
King and Gill founded the band in 1976 in Leeds, [1] the two were joined by drummer Hugo Burnham and bass guitarist Dave Wolfson. [2] After two or three gigs, [2] Wolfson was replaced by Dave Allen. [3] After releasing two albums, Allen left in 1981. He was temporarily replaced by Busta "Cherry" Jones, [4] before Sara Lee joined as a permanent replacement. Burnham left in 1983, his replacement was Steve Goulding. [5] The band broke up in 1984. [6]
King and Gill reunited Gang of Four on three occasions in the 1990s, first to record Mail (1991), which featured Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and drummers Blair Cunningham, Frank Tontoh, Martyn Ford, Neil Wilkinson, Steve Monti. And again in 1995, recording Shrinkwrapped with bassists Phil Butcher and Dean Garcia, and drummers Dave Axford and again Steve Monti.
In 2004, the classic line-up of King, Gill, Burnham and Allen reunited for a UK tour in 2005. [7] [8] Burnham departed again in late 2005 to continue to be a college professor, he was replaced by Mark Heaney. [9] [10] Allen was also replaced by Thomas McNeice in 2008. [11] Founding member Jon King left in 2011 after disagreements with Gill, he was replaced by John Sterry. [12] Heaney was also replaced by Jonny Finnegan in 2014, [11] who was replaced by Tobias Humble in 2016. [13] Gill died in February 2020, ending this incarnation of the band. [14]
In October 2021, King reformed the band with Burnham, former bassist Sara Lee and Slint guitarist Dave Pajo. [15] [16] Allen did not return as "he didn’t want to do anything any more". [17] Lee was replaced by Linda Pardee in January 2024, [18] and then by Gail Greenwood in July. [19]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jon King |
|
| all releases until Content (2011) | |
Hugo Burnham |
|
|
| |
David Pajo | 2021–present |
| none to date | |
Gail Greenwood | 2024–present |
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Andy Gill |
|
| all releases to date | |
Dave Wolfson | 1976 | bass | none | |
Dave Allen |
|
|
| |
Busta "Cherry" Jones | 1980 (died 1995) | none | ||
Sara Lee |
|
| ||
Steve Goulding | 1983–1984 | drums | none | |
Gail Ann Dorsey | 1990–1991 |
|
| |
Mark Heaney | 2006–2013 |
|
| |
Thomas McNeice | 2008–2020 |
| all releases from Content (2011) to Happy Now (2019) | |
John "Gaoler" Sterry | 2012–2020 |
| What Happens Next (2015) | |
Jonny Finnegan | 2014–2016 |
| ||
Tobias Humble | 2016–2020 | Happy Now (2019) | ||
Linda Pardee | 2023–2024 |
| none |
Gang of Four are an English post-punk band, formed in 1976 in Leeds. The original members were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. There have been many different line-ups including, among other notable musicians, Sara Lee, Gail Ann Dorsey, and David Pajo. After a brief lull in the 1980s, different constellations of the band recorded two studio albums in the 1990s. Between 2004 and 2006 the original line-up was reunited; Gill toured using the name between 2012 and his death in 2020. In 2021, the band announced that King, Burnham, and Lee would be reuniting for a US tour in 2022 with David Pajo on guitar and Sara Lee returning to the band. They continue to perform live, including at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California; headlining Luna Fest in Coimbra, Portugal, a UK Tour in October '23, and plan to be in Australia and beyond in 2024.
Entertainment! is the debut album by English post-punk band Gang of Four. It was released in September 1979 through EMI Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in North America. Stylistically, it draws heavily on punk rock but also incorporates the influence of funk, reggae and dub. Its lyrics and artwork reflected the band's left-wing political concerns. Entertainment! became a seminal album in the post-punk movement.
Sara Lee is an English-American bassist and singer-songwriter, who came to prominence when replacing Dave Allen on bass guitar in the post-punk band Gang of Four, of which she was a member from 1982 to 1984. She was also a member of Robert Fripp's short-lived band The League of Gentlemen and is also notable for work with the B-52s, Ani DiFranco, and Indigo Girls. As of October 2021, Lee rejoined Gang of Four with founding members Hugo Burnham and Jon King as well as David Pajo, to tour in 2022.
David Pajo is an American musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres such as hardcore punk, math rock, post-rock, electronica, folk rock and indie pop. Though a multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his guitar work, most notably with Slint. He is currently a member of Gang of Four and musician at large.
Hugo Hamilton Mark Burnham is an English musician, and drummer for the rock group Gang of Four.
Solid Gold is the second album by the British post-punk band Gang of Four, released in 1981. Two of its tracks, "Outside the Trains Don't Run on Time" and "He'd Send in the Army", are re-recordings of songs previously released as a single in the UK.
Gail Greenwood is an American musician and illustrator most notable for performing bass guitar and vocals with the bands Belly and L7.
Songs of the Free is the third studio album by Gang of Four, released in 1982.
Another Day/Another Dollar is a 12" vinyl EP by Gang of Four, released in 1982 in the US, by Warner Bros. Records. The release is a compilation of material previously unreleased in the US. The first two tracks were released in the UK as a single. The third track is the b-side of the UK only single "What We All Want," and the last two tracks are excerpted from a live show recorded at the Hammersmith Palais, in London, on 3/30/81. All five songs from the EP later appeared on the EMI Records and Infinite Zero Archive/American Recordings's 1995 CD reissue of the 1981 LP Solid Gold.
Hard is the fourth studio album by the English post-punk group Gang of Four. It was originally released in 1983 on Warner Bros. Records and was the first album to not feature original member Hugo Burnham, while Dave Allen had already left before the previous album, Songs of the Free.
The Peel Sessions is a compilation album by Gang of Four.
Content is the seventh full-length studio album by English band Gang of Four, released on 24 January 2011 on Grönland Records in Europe and the following day on Yep Roc Records in the US. It was the last Gang of Four album to feature original vocalist Jon King, and the only full-length album to featured the drummer Mark Heaney. It was recorded at Andy Gill's central London studio, The Beauchamp Building.
"Damaged Goods" is a song by English post-punk band Gang of Four. Acting as their debut single, it was released on 13 October 1978 through independent record label Fast Product. Produced by Fast Product owner Bob Last under the alias "Fast Product", the single received critical acclaim, prompting the band to sign to major label EMI. The title track and "Love Like Anthrax" were re-recorded for Gang of Four's debut album Entertainment! in 1979 and the whole EP was included in the Fast Product compilation Mutant Pop in 1980.
What Happens Next is the eighth studio album by English post-punk band Gang of Four. It was released on 24 February 2015 through Metropolis Records and Membran record label. It is the band's first album to feature John "Gaoler" Sterry on vocals, following vocalist Jon King's departure, which left the guitarist Andy Gill as the sole original member of the band. The previous drummer Mark Heaney, who already recorded several songs for the album left the band during the recording, and being replaced by Jon Finnigan to finished the drum parts for the album.