Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees formed in London during 1976, emerging from a specific moment of cultural stagnation. Vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin met at a Roxy Music concert in September 1975 when glam rock had faded and no new music felt relevant to them. They began following an unsigned band called the Sex Pistols starting in February 1976. Journalist Caroline Coon dubbed their group the Bromley Contingent because most members came from the Bromley area of south-east London. Severin later despised this label, stating there was no such thing as a formal group, just people drawn together by shared feelings and looks.
The pair appeared on stage at the 100 Club Punk Festival held in London on the 20th of September 1976 with borrowed musicians. Marco Pirroni played guitar while Sid Vicious handled drums for a twenty-minute improvisation based on The Lord's Prayer. They intended to split up after that gig but were asked to play again. Over the next few months they recruited drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist Peter Fenton. Fenton did not fit in because he was a real rock guitarist so the band fired him on stage in mid-May 1977. John McKay took his place in July.
Their first live television appearance occurred in November on Granada Television during Tony Wilson's show So It Goes. That same month they recorded their first John Peel session for BBC radio where they premiered Metal Postcard. This track introduced motorik austerity in the drum patterns along with space in the sound and serrated guitars. The band described their music as cold machine-like and passionate at the same time. Vivien Goldman wrote on the cover of Sounds magazine that they sounded like a 21st century industrial plant.
The band released their debut album The Scream in November 1978 receiving widespread critical acclaim. Nick Kent of NME stated the group sounded like a unique hybrid of the Velvet Underground mated with much of the ingenuity of Tago Mago-era Can. He added that the traditional three-piece sound had never been used in such an unorthodox fashion with stunning results. Their second album Join Hands arrived in 1979 where Melody Maker called Poppy Day a short powerful evocation of Great War graveyards.
A few dates into the tour promoting Join Hands in September 1979 Morris and McKay quit the band following an argument at an in-store signing. Manager Budgie was hired after being asked to audition while Siouxsie and Severin failed to find a suitable guitarist. Robert Smith of the Cure offered his services since his own group were already the support band on the tour. The band accepted his assistance having seen too many rock virtuosos before. After the last concert Smith returned to the Cure.
Budgie became a permanent member as the band entered studios to record Happy House with guitarist John McGeoch who was still a member of Magazine. Their third album Kaleidoscope released in 1980 saw them exploring new musical territories using synthesizers sitars and drum machines. The group initially planned for each song to sound completely different without regard for live performance capability. Melody Maker described the result as a kaleidoscope of sound and imagery flashing before their eyes. Kaleidoscope peaked at
number five on the UK albums chart achieving commercial success.
For Juju released in 1981 the band practiced songs in concert first before recording them. Juju became an unintentional concept album drawing on darker elements according to Severin. Sounds magazine hailed it as intriguing intense brooding and powerfully atmospheric. The album later peaked at number seven on the UK albums chart becoming one of their biggest sellers. Johnny Marr of the Smiths praised McGeoch's guitar contributions on Juju during that period.
During the 1981 accompanying tour Siouxsie and Budgie became a couple while beginning a drum-and-voice duo called the Creatures releasing their first EP Wild Things. The Banshees followed in 1982 with the psychedelic A Kiss in the Dreamhouse featuring strings on several numbers. Severin later described this record as a sexy album intended as an intentional contrast to previous work. Richard Cook finished his NME review stating he promised the music would take your breath away.
McGeoch struggled with alcohol problems and was hospitalized upon return from a promotional trip to Madrid. The band fired him shortly thereafter asking Robert Smith to take over guitarist duties again. Smith accepted and rejoined the group in November 1982. During 1983 members worked on side projects including Siouxsie and Budgie composing the first Creatures album Feast while Severin and Smith recorded as the Glove.
Smith insisted on documenting his time with the Banshees so the group released Dear Prudence
in September 1983 reaching number three on the Singles Chart. They also released a live double album video Nocturne completing their sixth studio album Hyæna before its release in May 1984. Shortly before that release Smith left citing health issues due to an overloaded schedule and being in two bands at once. Ex-Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers replaced Smith for The Thorn EP which augmented four repertoire numbers with a string section.
NME praised the project calling the power of a classical orchestra the perfect foil for grindingly insistent sounds. The new line-up spent much of 1985 working on Tinderbox finishing Cities in Dust before rushing its release as a single prior to their longest UK tour. Tinderbox arrived in April 1986 where Sounds magazine called it a refreshing slant restoring vivid shades to pop's pale palette. Due to the length of time spent on Tinderbox they decided to record Through the Looking Glass in 1987.
Following a lengthy break the band recruited multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick and guitarist Jon Klein. The quintet recorded Peepshow in 1988 using non-traditional rock instrumentation including cello and accordion. Q magazine gave the album five stars stating it took place in some distorted fairground of the mind where weird shapes loom. The first single Peek-a-Boo was seen by critics as a brave move incorporating horns and dance elements. Sounds wrote that the snare gets slapped while Siouxsie's voice meanders all around
your head coming magically together.
Peek-a-Boo became their first real breakthrough in the United States after the tour ended. The band decided to take a break with Siouxsie and Budgie recording Boomerang while Severin and McCarrick worked on material together. In 1991 they returned with Kiss Them for Me mixing strings over a dance rhythm laced with exotica. The group collaborated with then unknown Indian tabla player Talvin Singh who also sang during the bridge receiving glowing reviews.
The single peaked at number twenty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 allowing them to reach a new audience. Superstition followed shortly afterwards as the group toured the US as second headliners of the inaugural Lollapalooza festival. They were asked to compose Face to Face as a single for Batman Returns at director Tim Burton's request. Kiss Them For Me stayed at the top of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for six weeks in a row from the 6th of July 1991.
In 1993 the Banshees recorded new songs based on string arrangements playing them in festivals abroad before hiring John Cale to produce the rest of the record. Released in 1995 The Rapture was described by Melody Maker as a fascinating transcontinental journey through danger and exotica. A few weeks after its release Polydor dropped the band from its roster replacing Jon Klein with Knox Chandler for their last tour in 1995. In April 1996 the Banshees disbanded after twenty years
of working together blaming internal problems and the situation with Polydor.
The Times reviewed Downside Up box set released that November stating the group never filled B-sides with inferior throwaway tracks but saw them as outlets for radical work. Eleven years after the split Siouxsie released her debut solo album Mantaray in 2007. Remasters concerning the 1982 to 1986 era issued in April 2009 included four other reissues. A vinyl reissue series began in August 2018 cutting albums at half speed at Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell.
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Common questions
When did Siouxsie and the Banshees form in London?
Siouxsie and the Banshees formed in London during 1976. Vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin met at a Roxy Music concert in September 1975 before following an unsigned band called the Sex Pistols starting in February 1976.
Who were the founding members of Siouxsie and the Banshees?
Vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin founded the group after meeting at a Roxy Music concert in September 1975. They recruited drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist Peter Fenton over the next few months to complete their early lineup.
What was the first album released by Siouxsie and the Banshees?
The band released their debut album The Scream in November 1978 receiving widespread critical acclaim. Nick Kent of NME stated the group sounded like a unique hybrid of the Velvet Underground mated with much of the ingenuity of Tago Mago-era Can.
Why did Robert Smith leave Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1984?
Robert Smith left the group shortly before the release of Hyæna in May 1984 citing health issues due to an overloaded schedule and being in two bands at once. He had rejoined the group in November 1982 to replace John McGeoch who struggled with alcohol problems.
When did Siouxsie and the Banshees disband officially?
In April 1996 the Banshees disbanded after twenty years of working together blaming internal problems and the situation with Polydor. Jon Klein was replaced by Knox Chandler for their last tour in 1995 before the split occurred.