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Gang of Four – May 7, Commodore Ballroom
Vancouver
June 10, 2005
The thought of four middle-aged men unleashing their best dance moves to punky new wave songs in public would most likely be enough to make any young adult cringe. Unless, perhaps, those four guys happen to be the Gang of Four.
In 1977, Leeds University students Jon King (vocals), Andy Gill (guitar/vocals), Dave Allen (bass) and Hugo Burnham (drums) formed Gang of Four, fusing danceable punk beats with radical politics. One doesn't have to look very hard to find the extent of their influence: contemporary new wave bands like Hot Hot Heat and Franz Ferdinand have Gang of Four in their musical bloodlines.
So, about the band that started it all: the night's casualties included a microwave that King hammered into oblivion with a baseball bat, and a Fender that Gill smashed on the floor. When not singing or ranting, King spent his time sprinting and hopping back and forth across the stage, crawling on hands and knees, spinning on his back and flailing his arms about like a madman. Gill and Allen turned in explosive performances of their own too, busting out their own moves while somehow keeping their beats intact and on time.
Even with King's and Gill's vocals buried under a haze of dissonance, the band's dramatic narratives – full of angst, fury and desperation – could be felt by the way the band used their instruments. Hard to not be hypnotized by Allen's sleek bass and Gill's inventive guitar; both didn't play their guitars as much as scream fury with jagged riffs and sharp, terse rhythms through them. And the interplay of Allen, Gill and Burnham on At Home He's a Tourist and Natural's Not In It weren't melodies as much as they were raging arguments about sin, economic disparity and body politics.
During the Gang of Four years, circa 1977-1984, various members have come and gone. Despite a handful of reunions, none comprised of the original members until now. King, Gill, Allen and Burnham were cracking wide grins by night's end; here's to hoping this lineup sticks around for awhile.
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