Punk was never meant to last. The frustration and anger of a jilted generation was meant to explode and shatter through all that had become irrelevant in the mainstream music scene of the mid to late 70s and then disappear in its own wreckage.
But there were a few bands who managed to survive and evolve past the restrictions of ‘3 chords and the truth’ and create much more diverse musical themes over a much longer lasting career. Bands like the Clash and the Specials wove in Jamaican elements to create a new political Ska revival. Bands like Joy Division (later New Order) explored electronic dance flavours whilst retaining their punk ethos. Meanwhile Siouxsie and the Banshees plumbed the darker gothic recesses of art and literature to widen the scope of art rock and post punk over the next 20 years.
From confrontational beginnings as a ‘noise experiment,’ the Banshees explored impressively far reaching musical avenues whilst never selling out or compromising their own visions. The first and last albums couldn’t sound more different; and yet there is a unique thread that stretches across 2 decades. No matter where they took you, it was always going to be compelling.
So I hope you can embark on a journey with me through the back catalogue of this most intriguing of bands. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you…Siouxsie and the Banshees.
The Scream (1978)
The Banshees started off more as an ‘art performance’ than as a ‘proper’ band; exhibiting true punk spirit with their first set consisting largely of confronting the audience with aggressive and improvised non-songs.
It took a long time for the record companies to cotton on to what the fans could tell…this was something different and with huge potential to take the short lived punk movement into more interesting and dark territories.
A focused campaign of fan (or perhaps management?) graffiti exclaiming ‘SIGN THE BANSHEES, DO IT NOW’ finally gave the band the opportunity to sign to Polydor and commit their ideas to wax.
The resulting first album ‘the Scream’ is well worth the wait. Siouxsie’s funereal lyrics are yelped and barked in such atonal urgency that it’s impossible not to be drawn in. Underpinning and complimenting this perfectly is the primal drumming of Kenny Morris, the spiky guitars of (the first of many John’s) John McKay and the pumping bass of Steven Severin.
It’s an album that I tend to appreciate more often than I enjoy it, and I’m glad they continued to evolve and push their sound within a couple of albums. But the Scream is one of the most arresting albums to come out of the cremated ashes of punk rock and it’s key listening to anyone interested in ‘what punk did next.’
Favourite Track: Switch
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Join Hands (1979)
With each album to follow 1979’s Join Hands, the Banshees evolve and reinvent their sound in new and fascinating ways.
But unfortunately I’ve always felt ‘Join Hands’ was akin to a ‘Scream II’ and is much the poorer for it. This is the one I listen to least (don’t find it as musically appealing as either of the albums that bookend it), and the production is weak, leading to Siouxsie’s voice being particularly headache inducing throughout .
That said, there’s thought provoking music to be found on all Banshees albums, so it’s still worth visiting this one from time to time.
Favourite Track: Playground Twist (would’ve been Love in a Void, but this wasn’t included on the original release)
⭐️⭐️
Kaleidoscope (1980)
I always forget what a fantastic album this is! It’s one of the most experimental, forward-facing albums of their 20 year career. Coming out of a potentially terminal split after their guitarist and drummer promptly walked out mid-tour, Kaleidoscope represents Siouxsie and Severin using their enforced limitations as a great opportunity to try out new ideas; picking up the pieces with a combination of different electronic techniques and part-time fill-in musicians. It’s almost like they were auditioning different people at the same time as making the album; with John McGeoch and Budgie ‘winning out’ to stay with the band after that. And you can see why – Budgie in particular is on fire from the off!!
A transitional Banshees show they still have plenty to give after their first dramatic lineup change.
Favourite Track: Happy House
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Juju (1981)
After the brilliant but dysfunctional searching of Kaleidoscope, the band’s new formula of McGeoch and Budgie, Sioux and Severin has never sounded more focused or more synergistic.
Yet for all they are ‘settled’ and ‘comfortable’ with each other on this record, Juju never sounds complacent; far from it. It is a band at the height of both its insistence and it’s originality.
The lushly chorus-laden arpeggios of one of the most interesting guitarists of all time on the top of his game on Spellbound or Into the Light combine with the proto-grunge of tracks like Monitor and Sin in My Heart to make Juju an album that grabs you, shakes you and never lets you go from beginning to end.
Favourite Track: Into the Light
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982)
The Banshees continue to hone the brilliance of Juju with the ‘classic combo’ of Sioux/Severin/Budgie/McGeoch (before the latter unfortunately suffered a nervous breakdown after years of heavy touring; later to return to prominence with his wonderful work with Public Image Limited).
The band continue to experiment with their sound, weaving in more psychedelic and floral flourishes; bolstered by the multi instrumental McGeoch and the maturing, less shrill but equally powerful vocals of Siouxsie. The songs aren’t quite up there with Juju, but it’s another highlight from a band at the height of its powers.
Favourite Track: Melt
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hyaena (1984)
After acting as live guitar understudy for the band twice already, both when original guitarist John McKay and later John McGeoch left mid-tour, Robert Smith of the Cure finally gets the chance to play on a studio album.
Smith brings his pop songsmith sensibilities to proceedings and the result is the band’s nearest flirtation with crossover success on Beatles’ cover Dear Prudence. But apart from a couple of other stellar singles, I didn’t find this album half as engrossing as what had been or what was to come for the Banshees, and after a promising start with the gorgeous Dazzle it falls a little flat.
Some interesting ideas, but this this one of the Banshees albums I visit less often.
Favourite Track: Dazzle
⭐️⭐️
Tinderbox (1986)
I love all eras of the Banshees, but they really were at the top of their game on Tinderbox. Budgie’s drums in particular are immense on this album!
As much as I love john McGeoch, his permanent successor, John Valentine Carruthers’ amazing guitar work is often overlooked and his contribution to taking the sound in new directions can really be heard here in his sublime work on arguably one of the best of their albums.
It’s incredible really that Siouxsie and co manage to reinvent themselves on each album yet still manage to occupy a completely unique space amongst their peers. Certain albums create such an atmosphere that they transcend a mere collection of songs and become more of a ‘place’ that you can visit. Examples of this would be Avalon by Roxy Music, Kid A by Radiohead and Tinderbox by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Vivid, beautiful , essential.
Favourite Track: This Unrest
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Through the Looking Glass (1987)
The Banshees are the last band I would expect to do a covers album, especially at one of their peaks, and Through the Looking Glass seems a little unnecessary. But I suppose if Bowie can do it, anyone can, and this being the Banshees it’s always bewitching and fun.; both in their choices and their arrangements.
Favourite Track: Trust in Me
⭐️⭐️
Peepshow (1988)
After a good, if stagnant covers album, the band are back in reassuringly experimental mood on Peepshow.
For a band reaching their tenth anniversary, they’ve never sounded as fresh.
Occasionally the lyrical content veers into cliches of their own making (living scarecrows and haunted fairgrounds are the kind of thing they have already explored on Kiss in the Dreamhouse), but the music is so intriguing as to bypass such concerns.
Favourite Track: The Last Beat of My Heart
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Even after over ten years making consistently engaging music, Superstition finds the band bending and shifting their sound into new avenues once again; from weaving in Eastern textures to more electronic patterns and themes.
Siouxsie’s voice has really blossomed and expanded; from the barked aggression of the Scream to the plaintive and seductive vibrato of these later albums. For many Banshees fans, this would lead to a weakening of their presence and sound, and there are moments on Superstition where it does feels strangely hollow in comparison with their best albums. Budgie, one of the most interesting drummers of his generation for example is much less prevalent, hidden under a more glossy production.
There are certainly high points, such as singles Shadowtime, Kiss Them for Me or the gorgeous closer The Ghost in You. But it’s a very inconsistent album and most of the second half is skippable.
Favourite Track: The Ghost in You
⭐️⭐️
The Rapture (1995)
The last Banshee’s album continues to build on their sound, which is incredible considering they had already been going for 20 odd years by the time they called it quits. I can never understand why this is one of the fans’ least favourite albums, as I consider it both beautiful and powerful in equal measure.
The band were hardly talking to each other at this point, living separate lives in different countries. Yet this never feels ‘phoned in’ in any way, especially on the fascinating orchestral complexity of the album track, worked on by Banshee Steve Severin and the legendary John Cale.
The light fluffiness of tracks like O Baby will turn a lot of fans off I’m sure, but if you can delve deeper into the Rapture there are many treasures to find…from the grungey Not Forgotten to the Psychedelic pop of Stargazer and the hypnotic Forever.
Favourite Track: Forever
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Outro
The Banshees go out the way they came in, bending rock conventions and never compromising their intent to create the most alluring music.
Through personal and professional dramas, they retained their core beliefs and never stopped pushing themselves in increasingly strange and fascinating directions. It’s a trip worth taking with them.
Thank you for reading, and I’d love to hear your what favourite Banshees tracks are.
My name is Tim and I'm a Singer/Songwriter from the Northwest of England. I run a blog about my everyday thoughts and experiences as a songwriter/musician and projects I'm working on, as well as some of the things I’m passionate (nerdy) about, such as music, films and retro gaming to name a few. It would be great to hear your own experiences and thoughts on life as a musician, your own favourite music and films or life in general too! Thanks for reading! Tim Lee x