Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British band, formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. Initially associated with the punk scene, the band rapidly evolved to create “a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation”. Their debut album The Scream was released in 1978 to widespread critical acclaim. The album is considered a landmark recording: its innovative combination of bass led rhythm and angular guitar with motorik drums played mostly on toms, would make it a pioneering work of the post-punk genre. The single Hong Kong released around this time and finally included in the album in the 2006 remastered reissue.
The Banshees’ second album, Join Hands, was released in 1979. 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”. It contained a 15 minute version of the Lord’s Prayer. 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 in concert. 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 in the UK albums chart. This was the opening track and lead single from the album.
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 in the UK albums chart and became one of their biggest sellers. Spellbound was the lead single and notice on this concert version that Robert Smith from the Cure is playing guitar.
During 1983, the band members worked on several side projects; 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 hit, reaching number 3 on the Uk Singles Chart. They also released a live album, Nocturne, and completed their sixth studio album, Hyaena. 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.
