Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin. The Times called them "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".
With guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris, they created "a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation". Their debut album The Scream (1978) received widespread acclaim. Following membership changes, including the addition of guitarist John McGeoch and drummer Budgie, they changed their musical direction and became one of the most successful alternative pop groups of the 1980s. Their third album Kaleidoscope (1980) peaked at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. With Juju (1981) which also reached the top 10, they became an influence on the emerging gothic scene.
The band made a breakthrough in North America with the multifaceted album Peepshow (1988), which received critical praise. With substantial support from alternative rock radio stations,The singles "Peek-a-Boo" (1988) and "Kiss Them For Me" were both number 1 for several weeks in the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, which listed the most played songs on alternative radio stations in the US. "Kiss Them for Me" stayed at the top of this chart for six weeks in a row from 6 July 1991. See they achieved a mainstream hit in the US in 1991 with the pop single "Kiss Them for Me". Siouxsie and the Banshees' other best-known songs include "Hong Kong Garden" (1978), "Happy House" (1980), "Spellbound" (1981), "Cities in Dust" (1985) and "Peek-a-Boo" (1988). During their career, Siouxsie and the Banshees released 11 studio albums and 30 singles. The band experienced several line-up changes, with Siouxsie and Severin being the only constant members. They disbanded in 1996.
The band were post-punk pioneers. They have been widely influential, both on contemporaries and later acts. They have been cited as an influence by bands such as Joy Division, the Cure, U2, Radiohead, and singers such as Tricky and Jeff Buckley.
History
Formation (1976–1977) Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin met at a Roxy Music concert in September 1975, at a time when glam rock had faded and there was nothing new coming through with which they could identify. From February 1976, Siouxsie, Severin and some friends began to follow an unsigned band, the Sex Pistols. Journalist Caroline Coon dubbed them the "Bromley Contingent", as most of them came from the Bromley area of south-east London, a label Severin came to despise. "There was no such thing, it was just a bunch of people drawn together by the way they felt and they looked". They were all inspired by the Sex Pistols and their uncompromising attitude. When they learned that one of the bands scheduled to play the 100 Club Punk Festival, organised by Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, was pulling out from the bill at the last minute, Siouxsie suggested that she and Severin play, even though they had no band name or additional members. Two days later, the pair appeared at the festival held in London on 20 September 1976. With two borrowed musicians at their side, Marco Pirroni on guitar and Sid Vicious on drums, their set consisted of a 20-minute improvisation based on "The Lord's Prayer".
The band intended to split up after the gig, but they were asked to play again. Over the next few months, Siouxsie and Severin recruited drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist Peter Fenton. After playing several gigs in early 1977, they realised that Fenton did not fit in because he was "a real rock guitarist"; he was fired on stage in mid-May. John McKay took his place in July. Their first live appearance on television took place in November on Granada Television (based in Manchester), on Tony Wilson's TV show So It Goes. In that month they also recorded their first John Peel session for BBC radio, in which they premiered a new song, "Metal Postcard"; this introduced a "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". When they appeared on the cover of Sounds magazine, Vivien Goldman wrote: "they sound like a 21st-century industrial plant".
The Scream and Join Hands (1978–1979) The band sold-out venues in London in early 1978, but still had problems getting the right recording contract that could give them "complete artistic control". Polydor offered this guarantee and signed them in June. Their first single, "Hong Kong Garden", featuring a xylophone motif, reached the top 10 in the UK shortly after. An NME review hailed it as "a bright, vivid narrative, something like snapshots from the window of a speeding Japanese train, power charged by the most original, intoxicating guitar playing I heard in a long, long time".
The band released their debut album, The Scream, in November 1978. Nick Kent of NME said of the record: "Certainly, the traditional three-piece sound has never been used in a more unorthodox fashion with such stunning results".
The Banshees' second album, Join Hands, was released in 1979. In Melody Maker, Jon Savage described "Poppy Day" as "a short, powerful evocation of the Great War graveyards", and Record Mirror described the whole record as a dangerous work that "should be heard". The Banshees embarked on a major tour to promote the album. A few dates into the tour in September, Morris and McKay left an in-store signing after an argument and quit the band. In need of replacements to fulfil tour dates, the Banshees' manager called drummer Budgie, formerly with the Slits, and asked him to audition. Budgie was hired, but Siouxsie and Severin had no success auditioning guitarists. Robert Smith of the Cure offered his services in case they could not find a guitarist (his group were already the support band on the tour); having already seen too many "rock virtuosos", the band accepted his assistance. The tour resumed in September; after the last concert, Smith returned to the Cure.
Kaleidoscope, Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1980–1982) Budgie became a permanent member, and the band entered the studios to record the single "Happy House" with guitarist John McGeoch, then still a member of Magazine. Their third album, Kaleidoscope, released in 1980, saw the Banshees exploring new musical territories with the use of other instruments like synthesizers, sitars and drum machines. The group initially had a concept of making each song sound completely different, without regard to whether or not the material could be performed live. Melody Maker described the result as "a kaleidoscope of sound and imagery, new forms, and content, flashing before our eyes". Kaleidoscope was a commercial success, peaking at number 5 on the UK albums chart. This line-up, featuring McGeoch on guitar, toured the United States for the first time in support of the album in November 1980.
For Juju (1981), the band took a different approach and practised the songs in concert first before recording them. Juju, according to Severin, became an unintentional concept album that "drew on darker elements". Sounds hailed it as "intriguing, intense, brooding and powerfully atmospheric". The album later peaked at number 7 on the UK albums chart and became one of their biggest sellers. McGeoch's guitar contributions on Juju were later praised by Johnny Marr of the Smiths.
During the 1981 accompanying tour, Siouxsie and Budgie secretly became a couple. At the same time, they debuted a drum-and-voice duo the Creatures, releasing their first EP, Wild Things.
The Banshees followed in 1982 with the psychedelic A Kiss in the Dreamhouse. The record, featuring strings on several numbers, was an intentional contrast to their previous work, with Severin later describing it as a "sexy album". The British press greeted it enthusiastically. Richard Cook finished his NME review with this sentence: "I promise...this music will take your breath away". At that time, McGeoch was struggling with alcohol problems, and was hospitalised on his return to a promotional trip from Madrid. The band fired him shortly thereafter. Severin asked Robert Smith to take over guitarist duties again; Smith accepted and rejoined the group in November 1982.
Hyæna, Tinderbox and Through the Looking Glass (1983–1987) During 1983, the band members worked separately; Siouxsie and Budgie composed the first Creatures album, Feast, while Severin and Smith recorded as the Glove. Smith then insisted on documenting his time with the Banshees, so the group released a cover version of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" in September 1983. It became their biggest UK hit, reaching number 3 on the Singles Chart. They also released a live double album and video, Nocturne, and completed their sixth studio album, Hyæna. Shortly before its release in May 1984, Smith left the group, citing health issues due to an overloaded schedule, being in two bands at once.
With ex-Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers replacing Smith, the Banshees then reworked four numbers from their repertoire, augmented by a string section, for The Thorn EP. NME praised the project: "The power of a classical orchestra is the perfect foil for the band's grindingly insistent sounds". The new Banshees line-up spent much of 1985 working on a new record, Tinderbox. The group finished the song "Cities in Dust" before the album, so they rushed its release as a single prior to their longest tour of the UK. Tinderbox was released in April 1986. Sounds magazine said: "Tinderbox is a refreshing slant on the Banshees' disturbing perspective and restores their vivid shades to pop's pale palette". Due to the length of time spent working on Tinderbox, the group desired spontaneity and decided to record an album of cover songs, Through the Looking Glass (1987). Mojo magazine later praised their version of "Strange Fruit". After the album's release, the band realised Carruthers was no longer fitting in and decided to work on new material as a trio.
Peepshow (1988–1990) Following a lengthy break, the band recruited multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick and guitarist Jon Klein. The quintet recorded a multifaceted album, Peepshow in 1988, with non-traditional rock instrumentation including cello and accordion. Q magazine praised the album in its 5-star review: "Peepshow takes place in some distorted fairground of the mind where weird and wonderful shapes loom". The first single, "Peek-a-Boo", was seen by critics as a "brave move" with horns and dance elements. Sounds wrote: "The snare gets slapped, Siouxsie's voice meanders all around your head and it all comes magically together". "Peek-a-Boo" was their first real breakthrough in the United States, peaking at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100. After the tour, the band decided to take a break, with Siouxsie and Budgie recording as the Creatures and releasing their most critically acclaimed album, Boomerang, while Severin and McCarrick worked on material together.
Superstition, The Rapture and break-up (1991–1999) In 1991, Siouxsie and the Banshees returned with the single "Kiss Them for Me", mixing strings over a dance rhythm laced with exotica. The group collaborated with the then unknown Indian tabla player Talvin Singh, who also sang during the bridge. The single received glowing reviews and later peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, allowing them to reach a new audience. The album Superstition followed shortly afterwards, and the group toured the US as second headliners of the inaugural Lollapalooza tour. The following year, the Banshees were asked to compose "Face to Face" as a single for the film Batman Returns, at director Tim Burton's request.