Siouxsie and the Banshees

Siouxsie and the Banshee S is a group of Rock English formed in London in 1976.

This group durably marked the scene Post-punk/new wave of end of the year 70 until beginning of the year 90. It influenced a multitude of artists of which The Cure, Tricky, Massive Attack, Shirley Manson of Garbage and more recently LCD Soundsystem and Anna Matronic of the Scissor Sisters.

History of the group

The singer Siouxsie Sioux and the bass player Steven Severin are the two founding members of the group. With the guitarist John McKay and the beater Kenny Morris, they record in 1977 two John Peel Sessions very noticed for the BBC. In 1978, the group leaves a first individual Post-punk, on-vitaminized “Hong-Kong garden” classified as of its N°7 exit in the United Kingdom. Their first album The Scream follows in the tread with pieces which precede already Cold wave. Nick Kent written in NME: " The group sounds like a single heritage of the Velvet Underground mixed with part of the ingeniousness of Can time Tago Mago. " It continues then with the following sentence: " Surely, the traditional sound (guitar, low, battery) forever used also unusually in the past with results also remarquables." The album durably marks the spirits and twenty years later, Massive Attack takes again the music of " Postcard" metal; on the B.O of the film The Jackal .

The group then becomes one of the florets of the British new wave, with concerts which are true ceremonies rock'n'roll but, in September 1979, a clash bursts between the musicians at the beginning of the round of the album Join Hands , causing the rapid departure of McKay and Morris. Robert Smith of The Cure ensures first once then the interim.

In 1980, with the arrival of a new guitarist John McGeoch defector of Magazine and Budgie beater of The Slits, the group starts to record pieces more pop like “Happy house” and “Christine”, and others more magnetic like “Red light”. One finds these titles on Kaleidoscope , album which by its eclecticism, allured a larger audience, being classified N°5 in England. In 1981, Siouxsie and Budgie form a second group The Creatures to play a music based more on the percussions, and Banshees leave in this same year Juju , one of the most outstanding discs of their career according to the singer Morrissey.

In 1982, the British press is dithyrambic at the time of the exit of has KIS in the Dreamhouse , first true album new wave recorded partly with arrangements of cords. The NME concludes its chronicle while promising with its readers: " This music will cut you the souffle." But John Mc Geoch, exhausted by the recording of the disc, is constrained to leave the group little time afterwards.

Robert Smith takes over once again and becomes in his turn the official guitarist of Banshees (of 1982 to 1984). He records with them the live DVD Nocturne filmed in 1983 then takes part in the recording of the album studio Hyaena in 1984.

With individual the " Cities In dust" , Siouxsie opens a new breach with an approach resolutely more direct: this title joins again besides with the urgency of their beginnings. Tinderbox, the album which follows in 1986, emphasizes the play of guitar in arabesques of the new recruit John Carruthers. This last participle also with the album of recoveries Through The Looking Knell: a disc which makes it possible to the musicians to again try out thanks to the support of their producer and friendly Mike Hedges.

In 1988, the group on the other side of the Atlantic attracts a public of mass with the album Peepshow . The first individual one which is extracted from it, “Peek-a-boo”, succeeds in the exploit to add on a music resolutely pop rock'n'roll of the abrasive sounds with accents hip hop. One finds there in particular records printer last with back. Chemical Brothers are not from now on any more very far. The instrumentation is packed with the arrival of the multi-instrumentalist McCarrick.

Siouxsy and Budgie benefit from one period of rest after the round which follows to record a new album of The Creatures, Boomerang where minimalism becomes synonymous with esthetic freedom. Jeff Buckley began again on scene a few years later, “Killing Time” one of the most languorous pieces of this disc.

In 1991, “KIS them for me” is found classified n°23 in the charts of individual American: the song produced by Stephen La Hague (known to have worked with New Order) mixture rhythmic Baggy on Beatles cords with voice éthérée with the key. Certain journalists speak about pop sophisticated.

In 1994, Siouxsie sings in duet with Morrissey on individual “the Interlude”, an elegiac ballade been used by arrangements as cords. One year later appears the last album studio of the group: The Rapture , disc which is musicalement rather close to “has KIS in the dreamhouse”.

After the separation of Banshees in 1996, Siouxsie and Budgie pousuivent the adventure with again The Creatures, playing a music between drum' low and trip hop on the album Anima Animus and in 2003, the singer collaborates in the album “Kish Kash” of Basement Jaxx.

In September 2007, appears finally the first album solo of Siouxsie Mantaray . The disc receives very warm welcome of specialized criticism: the very influential American site Pitchfork speaks in its chronicle " of pop" and writing " it is a succès".

Influence on other artists

In the years 1990, Siouxsie & The Banshees had an significant impact on the Trip hop.
  • Tricky indeed took again “Tattoo” like piece of opening of its second album “Nearly God”: the original version recorded by the group in 1983 is from now on available on their box Downside-up.
  • Massive Attack samplé music “Poscard the Metal” on their title “Superpredators (Postcard Metal)” for Cd of the B.O of the film “The Jackal”.

Other important artists were also influenced by Siouxsie & the Banshees:

  • LCD Soundsystem began again in 2006 “Slowdive”.
  • Jeff Buckley took again several times on scene the song “Killing Time” that Siouxsie composed on the album Boomerang of The Creatures.
  • The Beta Band samplé “Painted Bird” on the title liquid Bird .
  • Shirley Manson, the singer of Garbage, declared that its two preferred artists are Siouxsie and Frank Sinatra. In 2003, Manson wrote the foreword of the official biography of Siouxsie written per Mark Paytress (journalist of the Mojo magazine). In a text of several pages, she writes. " I learned how to sing by listening to the albums The Scream and Kaleidoscope… Today, I can see and hear everywhere the influence of Siouxsie & The Banshees." The singer as declared with the Melody Maker as she listened to always much the first album of Siouxsie.
  • Dave Navarro of Jane' S Addiction explains as for him this in the official biography of Siouxsie. " Perry & myself sums of the fans… There are common points between Jane' S and Banshees: the melody, the use of the sounds, the sex appeal and yet we come from different backgrounds. I always saw Jane' S Addiction like Siouxsie & the Banshees masculins."
  • Morrissey declared with the monthly magazine Q in 1994. " None of these groups arrives at ankle of siouxsy and the banshees. It is not nostalgia badly placed. It is a fait." .
  • The Cure was influenced by the group. Robert Smith declared in the biography of Siouxsie written per Mark Paytress. " To have been their guitarist really changed my vision on what I faisais." He also said in 1985. " The head one the door makes me think of the album Kaleidoscope, with the idea to have a multitude of different sonorities, colors différentes."
  • Anna Matronic of the Scissor Sisters declared that its preferred group was Siouxsie & the banshees. At the time of Brits Awards 2005, the scissors paid homage to Siouxsie on scene in a supported way…
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers took again " Christine" at the time of the English festival V2001
  • Radiohead took as a starting point the albums of the group Mcgeoch period. They indeed declared that during the recording of There There , they all were enthusiastic at the end when their producer Nigel Godrich made sound Jonny Greenwood like John McGeoch de Siouxsie and the banshees.
  • U2 selected in 2005 " Christine" for a compilation especially conceived for the readers of the Mojo magazine.
  • Arcade Fire advised with the group Devotchka to take again individual siouxsy: " The Last Happy off My Heart".

Discography

See too

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