stephen hiscock

Gang of Four's 'Entertainment!' turns 45 today 💥 It’s a testament to the life and work of Andy Gill, and the rest of the band, that they can name some of the most iconic musicians of all time as disciples. The sounds of their debut, 1979’s Entertainment! and its follow-up 1981’s Solid Gold, have reverberated throughout time, and the influence of their work shows no sign of abating, even as this third wave of ‘post-punk’ fizzles out. Some of the bands Gang of Four have influenced are truly mindblowing. R.E.M. frontman, Michael Stipe has mentioned the band as a chief influence on the Georgia group on numerous occasions over the years. Flea, the slap bassist of funk-rock masters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, has also said that in the early days, when the band had a more splintered, metal edge, that Gang of Four were the most crucial influence on their artistic development. Showing just how far the band’s influence stretched in the generation that came after them, is that Kurt Cobain of Nirvana constantly showered praise on the Leeds band. In his journal, when listing his 50 favourite albums of all time, Cobain put Entertainment! at number 13. Following the trend of other bands from his generation, Cobain also explained how Gang of Four had a considerable influence on Nirvana in the early days. He said that the band started as “a Gang of Four and Scratch Acid ripoff”. Gang of Four’s music is timeless. There’s no surprise that they’ve managed to remain relevant all these years. Iconoclastic in every sense of the word, they’ll likely keep adding new names to their list of disciples for many years to come.