Gang of Four

O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London - 10 October 2023

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"Like burning hot gunpowder firecrackers"

I missed Gang of Four in their earlier days, but I've always been a fan. Hailing from Leeds, they came up in the turbulent 70s when the country was on the verge of societal collapse and fascists marched in the streets, while students (like vocalist Jon King) marched against them. Named after the Chinese Maoist political faction, they were made up of members King, Andy Gill (guitar), Hugo Burnham (drums) and Dave Allen (bass), Gang of Four was urgent, powerful and original - full of social comment and critique of capitalism, meritocracy, colonialism, and consumerism. In 2023, we find ourselves in much the same place as then and I guess that's why, in part, that their music still sounds so vital and relevant.

Their members changed over the years, with King and Gill eventually going separate ways over the direction of the band. Gill took his own live line-up out on the road - in fact the only time I'd previously seen Gang of Four was in this form at the Oslo in 2015. So, I was quite excited to attend this gig, though slightly questioning the lack of a new album to promote. I mean, whatever -  I was just thrilled they were playing! They are legendary, one of the most influential bands to come out of post-punk and and their influence on post-punk (and everything coming after it) cannot be underestimated. With the current roster of singer Jon King, drummer Hugo Burnham, previous bass player Sara Lee and David Pajo (Slint) on guitar, London was the penultimate of their seven date UK tour.

The crowd was in a great mood, the vibe was joyous, flags lined the top of the stage, pointed out by King as representing the band: UK and American, New Progress Pride, and Woman-Life-Freedom. A vase of daffodils placed on the drum riser was Burnham's personal nod to Ringo Starr, and the coat hanger which he eventually placed his outer shirt onto a nod to his other influence Charlie Watts - beautiful and meaningful touches. The merch on offer was reasonably priced and straightforward.

Gang of Four certainly did not disappoint, feeling fresh, sounding tight and immediate. Jon King brought huge amounts of energy, writhing and bouncing with intensity, and spreading his attention to every corner of the venue. He looked us all in the eyes and reminded us what's what, and we were right there with him. Sara Lee and Jon Burnham laid down a solid percussion section and Sara in particular looked like she was having a blast, with their backup singers proving a very capable and enthusiastic bunch indeed.

Was Andy Gill, who sadly passed in 2020, missed? Hell yeah - and while many would say it's not Gang of Four without him, David Pajo did a fantastic job of bringing the angular razor wire guitar sound which is one of their signatures. Kudos to him for masterfully filling some very big shoes indeed. Tracks like We Live As We Dream Alone, Love Like Anthrax, and I Love a Man In Uniform had the crowd singing and jumping along. Paralyzed saw King providing an appropriate accompanying rhythm of a baseball bat on microwave oven (which was available for sale after the gig for a mere £30).

Built up cathartic release came at the end (as it should), particularly with To Hell With Poverty! and Damaged Goods. It was absolutely fantastic to hear these all of these songs live, they were like burning hot gunpowder firecrackers, the kind that blow your fingers off if you hold them too long. From the outside, one might think that due to the (ahem) higher ages of most people present (myself included), this was pure nostalgia. I can say, it categorically was not.

This was channelled anger, and we've got decades of build-up showing us that King was right all along, and the things he said then are the things we still need to hear now. The feelings haven't changed one iota, and the mirror they raised to society still hangs. Their last release was the Gang of Four: 77 – 81 box set. I don't know what they've got in the works, but I certainly hope this isn't the last we see of them - they've still got plenty to say and plenty of fight. Next year marks the 45th anniversary of their debut album, so maybe they'll be back to celebrate with us.

Vive le Gang of Four! 9/10

Setlist: Return the Gift (2005), Not Great Men, Outside the Trains Don't Run on Time, We Live As We Dream, Alone, Ether, Paralyzed, Love Like Anthrax, He'd Send In The Army, I Parade Myself, What We All Want, I Love a Man In Uniform, At Home He's A Tourist, Natural's Not In It, I Found That Essence Rare, To Hell With Poverty!, Encore: Capital (It Fails Us Now), Damaged Goods 

Review + Photos: E. Gabriel Edvy

See also:
Gang of Four - Heaven, London - 2 February 2011
Gang of Four (Meltdown 2008) - Royal Festival Hall, London - 20 June 2008