Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band. Formed in September 1976, the group originally consisted of vocalist Siouxsie Sioux, bassist Steven Severin, guitarist Marco Pirroni and drummer Sid Vicious. The first recording line-up featured John McKay and Kenny Morris in place of Pirroni and Vicious. Siouxsie and Severin were members throughout the band's entire lifetime, alongside drummer Budgie who joined in 1979. and a rotating cast of guitarists including John McGeoch. The band broke up in 1996 but reformed for a tour in 2002 with a line-up of Siouxsie, Severin, Budgie, and guitarist Knox Chandler.
Vocalist Siouxsie Sioux (real name Susan Ballion) and bassist Steven Severin (real name Steven Bailey) formed Siouxsie and the Banshees in September 1976, debuting with a line-up including guitarist Marco Pirroni and drummer Sid Vicious (real name John Ritchie). [1] Two months after the performance, Pirroni and Vicious were replaced by Peter Fenton and Kenny Morris, respectively, although Fenton was sacked after a live show the following May due to stylistic differences with the other members. [2] By July he had been replaced by John McKay, who also contributed saxophone to the group. [3] The line-up of Siouxsie, McKay, Severin and Morris released two studio albums – 1978's The Scream and 1979's Join Hands – before McKay and Morris both left suddenly on the eve of the start of a UK tour in September 1979. [4]
The tour resumed a few weeks later with the Cure frontman Robert Smith and the Slits drummer Budgie substituting for the departed members. [5] Budgie subsequently became a full-time member of the band, while John McGeoch joined as McKay's permanent replacement early the following year. [6] He became an official member in July. [7] McGeoch performed on Kaleidoscope , Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse , before he was fired at the beginning of November 1982 due to problems with alcohol abuse which resulted in his hospitalisation. [8] The vacated guitarist spot was again taken by Robert Smith. [8] The Cure frontman became a full member of the Banshees, contributing to 1984's Hyæna , before leaving three weeks before its tour due to "nervous strain and exhaustion". [9] [10]
Smith was replaced by former Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers, who performed on The Thorn and Tinderbox before leaving in February 1987 due to disagreements with the rest of the band. [11] The band became a quintet in July 1987 when a new line-up was unveiled with Jon Klein on guitars alongside multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick on keyboards, cello and accordion. [12] This line-up remained stable for almost eight years, before Klein was replaced by former Psychedelic Furs guitarist Knox Chandler for the tour in support of 1995's The Rapture . [13] After a final run of live shows, Siouxsie and the Banshees disbanded in April 1996. [14] Siouxsie, Severin, Budgie and Chandler reformed the Banshees for a final tour in 2002, which spawned the live release The Seven Year Itch . [15]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Siouxsie Sioux (Susan Ballion) |
|
| all Siouxsie and the Banshees releases | |
Steven Severin (Steven Bailey) |
| |||
Sid Vicious (Simon John Ritchie) | 1976 (1st show only) (died 1979) | drums | none | |
Marco Pirroni | 1976 (1st show only) | guitar | ||
Peter Fenton | 1976–1977 | |||
Kenny Morris | 1977–1979 |
|
| |
John McKay |
|
| ||
Budgie |
|
| all Siouxsie and the Banshees releases from Kaleidoscope (1980) onwards, except The Peel Sessions EPs | |
Robert Smith |
|
|
| |
John McGeoch | 1980–1982 (died 2004) |
| ||
John Valentine Carruthers | 1984–1987 |
| ||
Martin McCarrick | 1987–1996 |
|
| |
Jon Klein | 1987–1994 | guitar |
| |
Knox Chandler |
|
|
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
September 1976 |
| none – one live performance only |
February 1977 – May 1977 |
| none – live performances only |
July 1977 – September 1979 |
|
|
September – October 1979 |
| none – live performances only |
Early 1980 – October 1982 |
|
|
November 1982 – May 1984 |
|
|
June 1984 – February 1987 |
|
|
Mid-1987 – December 1994 |
|
|
January 1995 – April 1996 |
|
|
Band inactive April 1996 – April 2002 | ||
April – August 2002 |
|
|
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. The Times called the group "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".
Nocturne is a live double album and video by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 25 November 1983 by Polydor Records. Co-produced by Mike Hedges, Nocturne features performances recorded at two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on 30 September and 1 October 1983, featuring Robert Smith on guitar.
Susan Janet Ballion, known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, who were active from 1976 to 1996. They released 11 studio albums, and had several UK Top 20 singles including "Hong Kong Garden", "Happy House" and "Peek-a-Boo", plus a US Top 25 single in the Billboard Hot 100, with "Kiss Them for Me".
The Glove was a 1983 English musical collaboration and recording project by the Cure's Robert Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees' Steven Severin. They released one studio album, Blue Sunshine, in 1983 as part of Severin's solo deal with Polydor. The latter came up with the band name, the album title and the blue/yellow sleeve concept, as Smith had to leave the project before completion due to prior commitments with the Cure.
John Alexander McGeoch was a Scottish musician and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Magazine (1977–1980) and Siouxsie and the Banshees (1980–1982).
Peter Edward Clarke, known professionally as Budgie, is an English drummer best known for his work in Siouxsie and the Banshees. He is also the co-founder of the Creatures.
Once Upon a Time/The Singles is Siouxsie and the Banshees's 1981 compilation album featuring the band's UK single releases to date. The album featured several songs that had been released as singles yet had not appeared on any of the Banshees' four albums. Once Upon a Time/The Singles spent twenty six weeks in the UK albums chart. The sleeve was designed by Stylorouge.
The Scream is the debut studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 13 November 1978 by Polydor Records. The album is considered a landmark recording: its innovative combination of angular and serrated guitar with a bass-led rhythm and machine-like drums played mostly on toms, made it a pioneering work of the post-punk genre.
Kaleidoscope is the third studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 1 August 1980 by Polydor Records. With the departure of John McKay and Kenny Morris and their replacement by two new musicians, Budgie on drums and John McGeoch on guitars, the band changed their musical direction and offered an album containing a wide variety of colors. "It was almost a different band", said Siouxsie.
Juju is the fourth studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was recorded at Surrey Sound studio with Nigel Gray as co-producer, and was released on 19 June 1981 by Polydor Records. Two singles were released from Juju: "Spellbound" and "Arabian Knights".
A Kiss in the Dreamhouse is the fifth studio album by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 5 November 1982 by Polydor Records. The record marked a change of musical direction, as the group used strings for the first time and experimented in the studio. Guitarist John McGeoch played more instruments, including recorder and piano. For Julian Marszalek of The Quietus, the release proved the Banshees to be "one of the great British psychedelic bands."
Hyæna is the sixth studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released on 8 June 1984 by Polydor Records. The opening track, "Dazzle", featured strings played by musicians of the London Symphonic Orchestra (LSO), a 27-piece orchestra called the "Chandos Players"; it was scored from a tune that Siouxsie Sioux had composed on piano. Hyæna is the only studio album that guitarist Robert Smith of the Cure composed and recorded with Siouxsie and the Banshees.
"Happy House" is a song written by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and recorded by their band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single in March 1980 by record label Polydor, then later included on the band's third album, Kaleidoscope. "Happy House" was the group's first record made with guitarist John McGeoch and drummer Budgie.
"Israel" is a song by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released as a stand-alone single in 1980 by Polydor Records.
"Spellbound" is a song by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. The group wrote it and co-produced it with Nigel Gray. It was released in 1981 by record label Polydor as the first single from the band's fourth studio album, Juju.
"Slowdive" is a song by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in 1982 by record label Polydor as the first single from the band's fifth studio album, A Kiss in the Dreamhouse.
Voices on the Air: The Peel Sessions is a compilation released in 2006 by English alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, it was issued only on CD. It is composed of recordings made on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. The first three sessions date from the Banshees Mk1, the 1977-1979 era of guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris. The fourth session was captured during guitarist John McGeoch-era in 1981. The last session was done in 1986, with guitarist John Valentine Carruthers.
Dreamshow is a live DVD by Siouxsie, released in 2005. It was filmed at the Royal Festival Hall in London in October 2004. The songs are performed on stage with the Millennia Ensemble orchestra. The setlist incorporates music from her bands Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Creatures.
John McKay is an English songwriter and guitarist. He was the first studio guitarist of Siouxsie and the Banshees. He was a member of the group from July 1977 until September 1979. He played a "jagged unorthodox chording", and created a "metal-shard roar" with his guitar. Q magazine included McKay's work on "Hong Kong Garden" in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever". He recorded two studio albums with the band, their debut album The Scream in 1978 and Join Hands in 1979.
"Love In a Void" is a song by the English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, written by singer Siouxsie Sioux, bassist Steven Severin, drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist Peter Fenton. Originally included as the b-side to the 1979 single "Mittageisen" in West Germany, it was later released as a double A-side single in September of the same year. It was also included on the band's 1981 ten track UK Gold certified compilation album Once Upon a Time: The Singles, and on the CD reissue of the album Join Hands.