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Friday 28 January 2011

15 FAVOURITE LIVE ACTS # 2




Siouxsie And The Banshees. The first time I really connected with the name was in 1977, when I began travelling to London's world famous Marquee club. There, sprayed on an entrance wall, was the legend: "Siouxsie And The Banshees. Sign them up. Do it now!" Before long, I'd heard their beautifully fractured sounds on the John Peel show and began a long assocation with the band, seeing them live on many occasions.
The Royal Albert Hall gigs (recorded for a video), the memorable Juju tour (where I caught them on 3 occasions), a bad tempered affair in Nottingham where Sioux and Severin whacked over-zealous bouncers with a crutch and base guitar, and a manic gig at Sheffield Top Rank where Calire Grogan's Altered Images played an admirable support set.
Just a few personal highlights from a golden period where the late John Mcgeogh and Robert Smith weaved their guitar magic with a stack of wonderful 45's which - along with The Jam - established the band as one of our finest singles outfits.

After a few years, the Marquee graffiti disappeared and it seemed like a small part of the club's spirit had gone with it. Happily, band and venue continued for some years to come, ensuring their place in history.

This is one of my favourite Banshees tracks, and I hope you enjoy it

5 comments:

  1. Streuth Steve! You me me must have been moving in the same circles. The Siouxsie gig in Nottingham (on the tour where she'd broken her leg) was mine and my wife's first date. I vividly remember Steve Severin jumping off the stage and twatting one of the bouncers because they were trying to make everyone sit in their seats.

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  2. Thanks, Michael.

    Blimey, Dave! Remember it well, mate. Wonder if there will be any more in this series where we both attended? Btw, impeccable choice for a first date.

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  3. It's a shame they were never bigger in the US but I guess their sounds was a little too European for mainstream tastes. Oh well. I always dug them and loved how their sound evolved over the years. I'm ashamed to say I never got a chance to see them live, though.

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  4. Thanks, JD. Think you're right about their appeal in the US. They certainly were a great singles and albums band, and I'd love to see them again in their prime.

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