Post-punk band
Gang of Four recently played the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis last Thursday, March 12th.
 Public Access T.V.
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Opening up the show was New York's
Public Access T.V. (not to be confused with the English band Public Service Broadcasting), who played a set of straightforward rock and roll. You may recall that we talked about this band and mentioned that PAT included former Be Your Own Pet and Virgins' drummer John Eatherly on our
Road to SXSW 2015 podcast. We all liked BYOP and Virgins, so naturally we like what he is doing with PAT.
The band is really new, they have only released an EP called
Rebounder and a 7"
In the Mirror (Rough Trades), so basically they played all of those songs, including new single "Metropolis" and last single "In The Mirror".
Leeds'
Gang of Four has been around since the late 70s, and since then we've seen the band change from punk rock to a dance-punk... but always with a social and political angle.
The band broke up in the late 90s, but reformed with the original lineup (singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham) for a brief two year period of 2004-2006. As of 2013, only the original guitarist, Andy Gill is in the band. Can he carry on the name, even as a 'gang of one'? Sure, much like how we are still celebrating bands like Smashing Pumpkins, The Fall, Soul Asylum, and Guns N' Roses... we still love the old stuff and we'll continue to support their new material.
If I were to compare this to a successful movie and its remake/reboot/sequel. Even if the second film is bad, you'll still have the original.... however, sometime the sequel may be just as good or better than the original.
In an interview with
The Skinny, he explained it, "I think sometimes his enthusiasm was not there, perhaps sometimes – you can tell I’m carefully choosing my words here! – the lack of enthusiasm didn’t help the creative process. I think, from that point onwards I knew I wanted to make another record and embrace those opportunities very enthusiastically. I felt a number of doors had opened up."
The opportunities that Gill referenced was the ability to finally open up the singing duties to various guest stars, such as
Alison Mosshart from The Kills, Robbie Furze from The Big Pink, Gail Ann Dorsey, German superstar Herbert Grönemeyer and Japanese superstar Hotei.
When it came down to it, I would rather hear a band excited about writing and recording new music than dispassionate creators.
So with a fresh lineup (singer John "Gaoler" Sterry, bassist Thomas McNeice, and drummer Jonny Finnegan) for this 2015 tour, Gang of Four begs the question "What Happens Next"?
Of the new band, I think they are good. The rarely-spoken Gaoler had a totally blank look, in true punk/goth fashion, like he is permanently depressed... but once in a while you can catch his true self breaking through, with a smile. Gaoler danced to and fro, utilized all three mics throughout their set.
 Gang of Four takes a bow
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Drumming was also excellent, especially on the faster-paced songs, but my favorite was the bass. McNeice's bass came in loud and clear, and I was surprise how much 'funk' Gang of Four were in the final mix.
I think because of all the guest stars on the latest
What Happens Next record, they may have decided to only play a few tracks from the album, including "Where the Nightingale Sings", "Stranded", and "Isle of Dogs".
With a 36+ year music history, Gill and company had their pick of songs, choosing to play their popular songs like the notorious "Anthrax", "At Home He's a Tourist" (major label EMI debut single), and the controversial "I Love a Man in a Uniform" (banned by the BBC during the Falklands War).
 Setlist
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The encore started with "Why Theory?", which we see Gaoler playing the melodica and maraca. During "I Love a Man in Uniform", bassist McNeice had backup vocal duties - however his mic stand was compromised by Gaoler earlier and he couldn't sing into the mic. No problem, McNeice, a veteran to this by now, knocked the mic off the stand (with a 'thud' sound) to get the attention of the guitar technician/stage hand. He quickly runs on the stage and immediate rectify the situation. Just from that interaction, I can tell that this was a tight touring unit.
Also, as you can see from their setlist photo, they only listed three songs - however, there was a bonus, fourth song, "I Found That Essence Rare". I believe this was meant for a double encore, but the band just chose to continue to play after "Return the Gift".
So what happens next? They're touring towards SXSW 2015 this year and will end their US show at the Burgerama show in Santa Ana.
Gang of Four's latest
What Happens Next is out now on Metropolis Records, be sure to catch the gang on this rare US appearance.
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