Post-Punk band Gang of Four dropped by the Rock City Basement in Nottingham (October 20th) on their tour around Europe; they certainly left a lasting impression.
It’s been 39 years since Gang of Four released their hit debut album Entertainment!
It that took the British music industry by storm, as part of the revolution of the teenage sound against disco, and after 39 years you’d certainly be forgiven for thinking that perhaps the band had lost their touch; but you would be wrong.
With only the lead guitarist, Andy Gill, being the original member of the line-up, the band has seen replacements of younger talents to visually retain that feeling of youthful rebellion. That’s not to say Andy is not one to watch, he opened the night by doing one of the most signature ‘Punk-rock’ moves ever by smashing the guitar until it was unusable; times like this made me think we’d been taken back to ’79! It’s easy to see why the parents and older generations of the time back in ‘Gang of Four’s prime would have probably hated this music, it absolutely screams rebellion. You could hit the mute button and still see what I mean, lead singer John Sterry and bassist Thomas McNeice leaping about the stage and wrestling with each other’s mic/guitar cables no doubt pissed out of their minds; like all rock stars should be. It was an atmosphere you’d have to experience first-hand, the band was only given a small platform stage but the ‘balls to the wall’ attitude, the hypnotic ‘in-your-face’ drums and Gill’s infectious riffs made that stage feel like an arena.
An hour and a half went by quickly, tracks of both old and new, classics and hidden gems stirred the crowd up all the same while managing to keep energy levels at high voltage throughout. I mean what other band are you going to end up seeing the lead singer smash a microwave with a guitar neck until the hinges fly off? Exactly, it’s an English punk-rock exclusive and I was privileged to have witnessed it. Now I wouldn’t be doing the night justice if I didn’t exclusively talk about that damn bass. Admittedly I’m a sucker for catchy basslines and dear god Thomas McNeice could play that thing like it was just pushing a button. The bass is without a doubt what pushes ‘Gang of Four’ into the realms of funk rock and McNeice gave a fantastic performance to justify their position as one of the greats. Of course, credit goes to the writers of the riffs themselves, it’s no surprise that ‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ bassist, Flea, claimed them to be the single most important influence of their earlier music and it’s not surprising considering how punchy the lines are and with such nice tone too.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a faultless night. A few technical difficulties plagued the overall immersion, through no fault of the band I must stress, but also the lead guitar tone was far too harsh for my taste almost to the point of ear damage. I realise it’s a pretty standard feature of the ‘Punk-Rock’ sound but when it’s coupled with such a smooth bass tone the two didn’t seem to mesh too well outside of a studio recording. But these issues flew in the face of what overall was a damn fun night.
If you’re an old fan looking to relive some nostalgic tunes, I’m happy to say the band has lost nothing over the years and if you’re a teenager like me wanting to have a night to just go wild giving the middle finger to the world, then again I’m happy to say ‘Gang of Four’ will definitely not disappoint; in fact they’ll probably raise their fingers with you.
By Alex Mace