Siouxsie and the Banshees are a British gothic rock band. Their musical career includes elements of early punk, and new wave.

Contents

1 Formation 2 Style and Notoriety 3 History 4 LP Discography 5 See Also: 6 References: 7 External Links

Formation

The band was originally formed to fill an empty space on a bill at the first 'international punk rock festival'. This show was organised by Malcolm McLaren at the 100 Club in London's Oxford Street on September 20th, 1976.

The initial line up consisted of 'Bromley Contingent' members Siouxsie Sioux (real name Susan Janet Ballion), Steve Severin (aka Steve Spunker/Havoc), Marco Pirroni (later of Adam and the Ants and Rema Rema ) and Sid Vicious (real name John Simon Ritchie), later of the Sex Pistols, on drums. On this occasion their set consisted of a lengthy and chaotic unrehearsed improvisation of "The Lord's Prayer", which also included lines from songs like "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", "Smoke On The Water" and "Twist and Shout".

"God it was awful" and "excruciating!" were two eye-witness accounts of their performance. This was not a unanimous view, however. A recording of the piece which circulates, though of relatively poor quality, demonstrates that the group gave a performance which commanded and repaid attention.

Style and Notoriety

Siouxsie courted much controversy in the early days due to her dress, often wearing 'bondage' clothes and fetish wear. She was also heavily critisised for wearing swastika armbands, although always maintained that this was intended to be for 'shock value' rather than any form of display of political sympathies.

The infamous Bill Grundy interview with the Sex Pistols, which led to notoriety for the Sex Pistols in December 1976, was sparked when TV presenter Grundy attempted to 'chat up' Siouxsie on prime time TV.

History

By February 1977 the Banshees were taking themselves seriously as a musical unit. They recruited Kenny Morris and Pete Fenton to their line up, which was by now gigging regularly and had attracted a solid fan base. Fenton was subsequently sacked and replaced in July 1977 by John McKay . It was not until 1978 that they finally obtained a record contract with Polydor Records, where upon they released their first single "Hong Kong Garden" (which reached the top 10 in the UK), followed soon after by the album The Scream.

Their second album, Join Hands, was released in 1979, and included a lengthy version of the aforementioned "Lord's Prayer" track. However, two days into a tour promoting this album, Morris and McKay unexpectedly quit the band. They were hastily replaced by Robert Smith (whose band The Cure were the Banshees' support for the tour) on guitar and Budgie (real name Peter Clarke, formerly of The Slits and Big In Japan) on drums. After the completion of the tour, Budgie stayed on as the Banshees' permanent drummer, whilst John McGeoch, formerly of Magazine joined as guitarist.

McGeoch recorded Kaleidoscope, Ju-Ju, and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse. During the tour for A Kiss in the Dreamhouse, McGeoch collapsed and was taken to Hospital. He was replaced on tour by Robert Smith, who later became a full time member. Smith contributed to the excellent live Double Album Nocturne and Hyaena, but finding that being the frontman for The Cure and guitarist for the Banshees was too much, he quit after Haeyna.

Ex-Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers was added. The Banshees re-recorded The Thorn EP with Carruthers and future member Martin McCarrick.

1986 saw th release of Tinderbox and the single Cities in Dust followed in '87 by the cover album Through the Looking Glass. Absent from one of the videos was Carruthers.

Following a long break, the rest of the band recruited the cellist/keyboardist Martin McCarrick and the ex-Specimen guitarist Jon Klein and recorded Peepshow, Superstition and The Rapture. Klien left after the completion of their last album and was replaced on tour by ex-Psychedlic Furs guitarist Knox Chandler.

(the story from hereon in still to be written, something more substantial than the following would be nice...)

While probably best known by the mainstream for songs like "Kiss them For Me", Siouxsie and the Banshees has done everything from punk (in the 1970s) to goth to new wave. How to classify this band depends on what era/song/album one is talking about.

Siouxsie and her husband Budgie also started a 'side project' band called The Creatures.

LP Discography

The Scream Polydor, 1978

1. Pure
2. Jigsaw Feeling
3. Overground
4. Carcass
5. Helter Skelter
6. Mirage
7. Metal Postcard
8. Nicotine Stain
9. Suburban Relapse
10. Switch

Join Hands Polydor, 1979

1. Poppy Day
2. Regal Zone
3. Placebo Effect
4. Icon
5. Premature Burial
6. Playground Twist
7. Mother-Oh Mein Papa
8. The Lord's Prayer

Kaleidoscope Polydor, 1980

1. Happy House
2. Tenant
3. Trophy
4. Hybrid
5. Clockface
6. Lunar Camel
7. Christine
8. Desert Kisses
9. Red Light
10. Paradise Place
11. Skin

Juju Polydor, 1981

1. Spellbound
2. Into the Light
3. Arabian Knights
4. Halloween
5. Monitor
6. Night Shift
7. Sin in My Heart
8. Head Cut
9. Voodoo Dolly

Once Upon A Time: The Singles Polydor, 1981

1. Hong Kong Garden
2. Mirage
3. The Staircase (Mystery)
4. Playground Twist
5. Love In A Void
6. Happy House
7. Christine
8. Israel
9. Spellbound
10. Arabian Knights

A Kiss In The Dreamhouse Polydor, 1982

1. Cascade
2. Green Fingers
3. Obsession
4. She's a Carnival
5. Circle
6. Melt!
7. Painted Bird
8. Cocoon
9. Slowdive

Nocturne (live) Polydor, 1983

1. Israel
2. Dear Prudence
3. Paradise Place
4. Melt!
5. Cascade
6. Pulled to Bits
7. Night Shift
8. Sin in My Heart
9. Slowdive
10. Painted Bird
11. Happy House
12. Switch
13. Spellbound
14. Helter Skelter
15. Eve White, Eve Black
16. Voodoo Dolly

The Thorn Polydor/Geffen, 1984

1. Overground
2. Placebo Effect
3. Red Over White
4. Voices

Hyaena Polydor/Geffen, 1984

1. Dazzle
2. We Hunger
3. Take Me Back
4. Belladonna
5. Swimming Horses
6. Dear Prudence
7. Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man
8. Running Town
9. Pointing Bone
10. Blow the House Down

Tinderbox Polydor/Geffen, 1986

1. Candyman
2. The Sweetest Chill
3. This Unrest
4. Cities in Dust
5. Cannons
6. Party's Fall
7. 92 Degrees
8. Lands End

Through The Looking Glass Polydor/Geffen, 1987

1. This Town Ain't Big Enough
2. Hall of Mirrors
3. Trust in Me
4. This Wheel's on Fire
5. Strange Fruit
6. You're Lost Little Girl
7. The Passenger
8. Gun
9. Sea Breezes
10. Little Johnny Jewel

Peepshow Polydor/Geffen, 1988

1. Peek-a-Boo
2. The Killing Jar
3. Scarecrow
4. Carousel
5. Burn-Up
6. Ornaments of Gold
7. Turn to Stone
8. Rawhead and Bloodybones
9. The Last Beat of My Heart
10. Rhapsody

The Peel Sessions 1991

1. Love in a Void
2. Mirage
3. Metal Postcard
4. Suburban Relapse
5. Hong Kong Garden
6. Overground
7. Carcass
8. Helter Skelter

Superstition Polydor/Geffen, 1991

1. Kiss Them for Me
2. Fear (of the Unknown)
3. Cry
4. Drifter
5. Little Sister
6. Shadowtime
7. Silly Thing
8. Got to Get Up
9. Silver Waterfalls
10. Softly
11. The Ghost in You

Twice Upon A Time: The Singles Polydor/Geffen, 1992

1. Fireworks
2. Slowdive
3. Melt!
4. Dear Prudence
5. Swimming Horses
6. Dazzle
7. Overground
8. Cities in Dust
9. Candyman
10. This Wheel's on Fire
11. The Passenger
12. Peek-a-Boo
13. The Killing Jar
14. The Last Beat of My Heart (Live)
15. Kiss Them for Me
16. Shadowtime
17. Fear (of the Unknown Remix)
18. Face to Face

The Rapture Polydor, 1995

1. O Baby
2. Tearing Apart
3. Stargazer
4. Fall From Grace
5. Not Forgotten
6. Sick Child
7. Lonely One
8. Falling Down
9. Forever
10. The Rapture
11. The Double Life
12. Love Out Me

The Best Of Universal, 2002 Disc One:

1. Dear Prudance
2. Hong Kong Garden
3. Cities In Dust
4. Peek-A-Boo
5. Happy House
6. Kiss Them For Me
7. Face To Face
8. Dizzy
9. Israel
10. Christine
11. Spellbound
12. Stargazer
13. Arabian Knights
14. The Killing Jar
15. This Wheel's On Fire

Disc Two:

1. Spellbound (Extended 12 Version)
2. Song From The Edge Of The World (Columbus Mix)
3. Kiss Them For Me (Kathak #2 Mix)
4. Peek-A-Boo (Silver Dollar Mix)
5. The Killing Jar (Lepidopteristic Mix)
6. Cities In Dust (Eruption Mix)
7. Dazzle (Glamour Mix)
8. Stargazer (Mambo Sun Mix)
9. Face To Face (Catatonic Mix)

Seven Year Itch Sanctuary, 2003

1. Pure
2. Jigsaw Feeling
3. Metal Postcard
4. Red Light
5. Lullaby
6. Lands End
7. I Could Be Again
8. Icon
9. Night Shift
10. Voodoo Dolly
11. Trust In Me
12. Blue Jay Way
13. Monitor
14. Peek-A-Boo

Downside Up (B-Side Box Set) Polydor, 2004 Disc One:

1. Voices
2. 20th Century Boy
3. Pulled To Bits
4. Mittageisen
5. Drop Dead/Celebration
6. Eve White/Eve Black
7. Red Over White
8. Follow The Sun
9. Slap Dash Snap
10. Supernatural Thing
11. Conga Congo
12. Coal Mind
13. We Fall
14. Cannibal Roses
15. Obsession II
16. A Sleeping Rain
17. Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant

Disc Two:

1. Tattoo
2. There's A Planet In My Kitchen
3. Let Go
4. The Humming Wires
5. I Promise
6. Throw Them to the Lions
7. An Execution
8. The Quarterdrawing of the Dog
9. Lullaby
10. Umbrella
11. Shooting Sun
12. Sleepwalking (On The High Wire)
13. She Cracked
14. She's Cuckoo
15. Something Blue
16. The Whole Price Of Blood
17. Mechanical Eyes

Disc Three:

1. False Face
2. Catwalk
3. Something Wicked (This Way Comes)
4. Are You Still Dying Darling?
5. El Dia De Los Muertos
6. Sunless
7. Staring Back
8. Return
9. Spiral Twist
10. Sea Of Light
11. I Could Be Again
12. Hothead
13. B Side Ourselves
14. Swimming Horses (KROQ Acoustic Christmas)
15. All Tomorrow's Parties (KROQ Acoustic Christmas)
16. Hang Me High
17. Black Sun

Disc Four:

1. Overground (The Thorn)
2. Placebo Effect (The Thorn)
3. Red Over White (The Thorn)
4. Voices (The Thorn)

See Also:

Gothic rock

References:

Bill Grundy Interview

External Links

• UntiedUndone is a fan site with lots of information and images of Siouxsie and the Banshees

• The Creatures is the official site of Siouxsie and the Budgie

• Fantazee is Vernette Butler's excellent Siouxsie site, containing a complete history, official and bootleg discographies and much more.