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Siouxsie And the Banshees Information
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'Siouxsie and the Banshees' were a British gothic rock band. Their musical career also encompassed the punk and new wave genres.
Formation
The band was originally formed to fill an empty space on a bill at the first UK based '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), Steven Severin (real name Steven Bailey 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 concert, 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 band's early days with her dress, often wearing 'bondage' clothes and fetish wear. She was also heavily critisised for wearing swastika armbands, although she always maintained that this was intended to be for 'shock value' rather than any form of display of Nazi or fascist political sympathies.
Pistols guitarist Steve Jones' infamous "you dirty bastard, what fuckin' rotter" comment during the band's December 1976 interview with Bill Grundy, which helped to fuel their notoriety, was sparked when 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 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 opened for the Banshees during 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 played on the albums Kaleidoscope, Ju-Ju, and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse. McGeoch was hospitalized in 1982 after collapsing onstage in Madrid during the tour for the latter. He was replaced on tour by Smith, who later became a full time member. Smith contributed to the live double album Nocturne and Hyaena, but quit the following year to concentrate all his energy on fronting the Cure.
Ex-Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers replaced Smith. The Banshees re-recorded The Thorn EP with Carruthers and cellist/keyboardist Martin McCarrick, who later became a full-time member.
1986 saw the release of Tinderbox and the single "Cities in Dust," followed in 1987 by the cover album Through the Looking Glass. Carruthers was absent from one of the music videos.
Following a long break, the rest of the band recruited 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.
While probably best known 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.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | UK | US |
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| 1978 | The Scream | 12 | - | | 1979 | Join Hands | 13 | - | | 1980 | Kaleidoscope | 5 | - | | 1981 | Juju | 7 | - | | 1981 | Once Upon A Time: The Singles | 21 | - | | 1982 | A Kiss In The Dreamhouse | 11 | - | | 1983 | Nocturne (live album) | 29 | - | | 1984 | Hyaena | 15 | 157 | | 1986 | Tinderbox | 13 | 88 | | 1987 | Through the Looking Glass | 15 | 188 | | 1988 | Peepshow | 20 | 68 | | 1991 | Superstition | 25 | 65 | | 1992 | Twice Upon A Time: The Singles | 26 | - | | 1995 | The Rapture | 33 | 127 | | 2002 | The Best Of Siouxsie & the Banshees | - | - | | 2003 | Seven Year Itch (live album) | - | - | | 2004 | Downside Up (B-Side Box Set) | - | - | |
Chart Singles
| Year | Song | UK singles | US Hot 100 | US Dance | US Modern Rock | Album |
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| 1978 | "Hong Kong Garden" | 7 | - | - | - | - | | 1979 | "The Staircase (Mystery)" | 24 | - | - | - | - | | 1979 | "Playground Twist" | 28 | - | - | - | Join Hands | | 1980 | "Happy House" | 17 | - | - | - | Kalædoscope | | 1980 | "Christine" | 22 | - | - | - | Kalædoscope | | 1981 | "Israel" | 41 | - | 73 | - | - | | 1981 | "Spellbound" | 22 | - | 64 | - | Juju | | 1981 | "Arabian Knights" | 32 | - | 64 | - | Juju | | 1982 | "Fireworks" | 22 | - | - | - | - | | 1982 | "Slowdive" | 41 | - | - | - | A Kiss In The Dreamhouse | | 1982 | "Melt" | 49 | - | - | - | A Kiss In The Dreamhouse | | 1983 | "Dear Prudence" | 3 | - | - | - | Hyæna | | 1984 | "Swimming Horses" | 28 | - | - | - | Hyæna | | 1984 | "Dazzle" | 33 | - | - | - | Hyæna | | 1984 | "Overground" | 47 | - | - | - | The Thorn E.P. | | 1985 | "Cities In Dust" | 21 | - | 17 | - | Tinderbox | | 1986 | "Candyman" | 34 | - | - | - | Tinderbox | | 1987 | "This Wheel's On Fire" | 14 | - | - | - | Through the Looking Glass | | 1987 | "The Passenger" | 41 | - | - | - | Through the Looking Glass | | 1987 | "Song From The Edge Of The World" | 59 | - | - | - | - | | 1988 | "Peek-A-Boo" | 16 | 53 | 14 | 1 | Peepshow | | 1988 | "The Killing Jar" | 41 | - | - | 2 | Peepshow | | 1988 | "The Last Beat of My Heart" | 44 | - | - | | Peepshow | | 1991 | "Kiss Them For Me" | 32 | 23 | 8 | 1 | Superstition | | 1991 | "Shadowtime" | 57 | - | - | 13 | Superstition | | 1991 | "Fear (Of the Unknown)" | - | - | 6 | 12 | Superstition | | 1992 | "Face To Face" | 21 | - | - | 7 | Batman Returns soundtrack | | 1995 | "O Baby" | 34 | - | - | 21 | The Rapture | | 1995 | "Stargazer" | 64 | - | - | - | The Rapture |
Trivia
*"Peek-A-Boo" was the first number one song on Billboard magazine's Modern Rock Tracks chart on the week ending September 10 1988.
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