Siouxsie and the Banshees

[Carol Baynes]

I'm hesistant to talk about Siouxsie Sioux or the Banshees (or The Creatures for that matter) on PS because I'm not sure how well received she'd be by most of you (if you've heard her at all). Nobody has ever mentined her I think...but I could be wrong! A very cult character really, but it's good to see her on a wave of critical success following her first solo album "Manteray".

Siouxsie was one of those singers and lyricists who changed my life really. I know that sounds melodramatic, but music means something different when you're a teenager and a voice telling you it's ok to be you and ok to be different is a powerful voice to hear at that age. "Peek-a-boo", in 1988, was the record that really turned me onto what you'd call alternative music, or to be more precise- music and popular culture not necesarally in the top ten. I still think it's a great single, and it led to me hearing "Hong Kong garden" from '78 (another favourite) on the album "Once upon a time", and the great "Juju" album too.
Siouxsie paved the way for PJ Harvey and Shirley Manson (to name but two ladies influenced by her), and the soudn of her voice and the interesting records she makes never fails to thrill. From the punk days with the Bermondsey set to her latter day position as a goth icon, Siouxsie is a bit of an inspiration really.

By the way, 20 years later and I still tend to mis-spell her name!

Dare I ask- any fans?

[Wayne]

Not really a 'fan' as such, but largely because i haven't heard enough of their music to know much about them. I only ever had the one single 'Hong Kong Garden', which i bought when i was 14 when it came out. Partly because in '77 i was really into the whole punk/new wave scene & i made it my business to buy almost all the singles of the day, & partly because i loved the slightly surreal b side 'Voices' which i'd heard on John Peel, who was about the only radio dj who ever bothered with b sides.
They were always one of those bands that i meant to investigate further, but for me for they were overshadowed in the wake of other bands that made a bigger impact on me, & as my tastes broadened out & i drifted further away from that scene they kind of became lost in the mists of time to me.
That's not to dismiss that as merely a part of the new wave bandwagon. From what snippets i've heard over the years, it sounded as though they'd progressed & developed musically & honed their own sound & style even further, but by then i was focussed on other things musically, & there wasn't really room for them where i was at, even though it was obvious they were a good band, i just never really heard that much.

[Carol Baynes]

Hi Wayne, I had a guess that that'd be you ropinion of them as it's your era really- I knew you were into your punk stuff way back when. I thought you might have their debut LP "The Scream" from 1978 actually, but apparently not. I expect you heard their version of "Dear Prudence" though, in 1983, as it was a big hit at the time?

[Wayne]

Hi Wayne, I had a guess that that'd be you ropinion of them as it's your era really- I knew you were into your punk stuff way back when. I thought you might have their debut LP "The Scream" from 1978 actually, but apparently not. I expect you heard their version of "Dear Prudence" though, in 1983, as it was a big hit at the time?

I was very much a singles boy in those days Carol. It was all i could afford on my pocket money. (Maybe i should've got off my lazy arse & got a paper round or something) Albums were something of a special occasion until i left school in '79. I did have the patience to save up for the Stranglers* (who were my very favourites) first 3 albums & the Pistols album & TRB's 'Power in the Darkness', & a few others but my Mum & Dad didn't really approve of Punk, so i never got anything like that for christmas. (It's easy to forget just how unpopular whole Punk thing was for some of the older generation back then. Just the swearing made my Mum in particular hate it!)
As for 'Dear Prudence', yes i did hear it because as you say it was a big hit at the time. I like that song anyway, & i thought it was a good version.

* Talking of the Stranglers, you may be interested in a live tv appearance in 1978 which i posted on the You Tube Music thread a couple of days ago, from a show called 'Revolver' hosted by Peter Cook. (not sure if you know of it already, but i know you like The Stranglers, so i thought i'd mention it just in case)

[Captain Tancredi]

Reading this, it's interesting how two people's experiences of music in the same era can be totally different- whether intentionally or not, I'd say I was shielded from punk (or at least not aware of it) and my soundtrack for the same period would probably be disco and Carpenters-type easy listening up until Adam Ant burst through the doors in full Regency garb and make-up. It may not have been a conscious decision on my parents' part; it may simply have been that punk didn't have time to reach Birkenhead, or that the ripples from the Merseybeat kept going through the Seventies until another generation of local bands made it big. It's for that reason I find a lot of things to do with visually extreme musicians freakish and unsettling- I was absolutely terrified by a KISS pinball machine in an arcade at New Brighton when I was about 8- and probably also why my goth phase a year or two ago basically consisted of wearing a purple shirt to a certain pub in Leeds a couple of times. I suppose also that rather than looking for music that told me it was OK to be different, I've always looked for music that would help me fit in.

But enough about me- mental note made to investigate further.

[WhiteCrow]

Yeah - I used to enjoy the Banshees, although more really as an occasional listen over sitting down to a whole album. I found something a bit otherworldly about them, but in a good way.

[Wayne]

I'd say I was shielded from punk (or at least not aware of it) and my soundtrack for the same period would probably be disco and Carpenters-type easy listening .

I think you're 10yrs younger than me aren't you Ian? If so, you must've only been about 4 in 1977? That would be like me being aware of the psychedelic/hippy scene or something in 1967. At that age i was probably listening to my Pinky & Perky LP that my Mum bought me.
At least in the Carpenters you managed to be listening to a proper group (or duo) at aged 4!

[Milky Tears]

I've always been aware of her work, but have never actually bought any of it. Almost got 'Peek-a-boo' back in 1988 (probably chose a Belinda Carlisle/Debbie Gibson/Tiffany/Kylie single instead ) and have 'Dear Prudence' on an old compilation album (Now 1983). She was looking good on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross the other week.

[Perry Vale]

I love the Banshees! I love The Cure, too. They go hand in hand don't they? The first record of theirs I got was the 12" single of 'Swimming Horses' in 1984, for my 16th birthday! I'd liked their songs before that when I heard them in the charts, especially Hong Kong Garden & The Staircase Mystery. Bought 'Hyaena' shortly after, which is still probably my favourite album by them (as it featured Robert Smith). She's got such a unique voice, and as a band, I think they chose the right time to quit when they did in the 90s. Her recent solo album was very good indeed, much better than you'd think it should be, if you know what I mean.

Seen them a couple of times live, once around 'Peepshow', and more recently this decade when they played a special gig just playing tracks from their debut album. She still looks hot!

[Logo Polish]

Wasn't she one of the people assembled together with the Sex Pistols when Bill Grundy was interviewing them?

I misheard the lyrics to "Dear Prudence" at the time, and for years afterwards thought it was a song called "Dear Brutus". Other than that, although I know vaguely of their music I've not followed it closely. Siouxsie does give good interviews, from those which I've read, though.

[Wayne]

Wasn't she one of the people assembled together with the Sex Pistols when Bill Grundy was interviewing them?

That's right.

"Dear Brutus"

[Perry Vale]

Their covers were pretty good too, they manage to make Dear Prudence & This Wheel's On Fire sound like their own, IMO.

[Stephen Morgan]

Their covers were pretty good too, they manage to make Dear Prudence & This Wheel's On Fire sound like their own, IMO.

They were great covers.

I loved Siouxsie and the Banshees singles from the start, although Punk mainly passed me by I seemed to pick up on these. I loved stuff like Hong Kong Garden (classic imho) Metal Postcard, Playground Twist, Happy House, they really are good singles. I even liked her stuff with The Creatures, Miss The Girl, Mad Eyed Screamer, and Mel Torme's Right Now proving to be a Feast of a single.
I have a copy of Siouxsie's recent album, Manterey, proving she's lost none of her sparkle, this album is quite accessible, shame it didn't give her any hits though.

[Mike Saville]

How do you tell the difference between an emo and a goth?
Easy. You ask them who Siouxie and Robert Smith are. If they don't know then, despite their protestations to the contrary, they're emo.

[Carol Baynes]

How do you tell the difference between an emo and a goth?
Easy. You ask them who Siouxie and Robert Smith are. If they don't know then, despite their protestations to the contrary, they're emo.

Ironic since both Siouxsie and Smith always wanted to avoid 'goth' categorisation, although its undeniable they influenced the scene.

[WhiteCrow]

I cycle past my local 6th form college and wonder if they're still listening to the Smiths and Cure like we did you know ...

[Ralph]

Yes I remember this band particularly as one of my friends was into her music big time. I liked "Hong Kong Garden" which I think is the most memorable for me... I know quite a lot about this whole time period I have to say

[RetroRobot]

Hi Carol!

RetroRobot here,

I first encountered The Banshees with the album THE SCREAM (with the wonderful 'HKG' on it) and got JUJU ('Into the Light') and the fabulous KALEIDOSCOPE, but lost track after that (travelling). I had Goth friends a few years later who brought me up to date, but the only album i added to my own list (discovered it myself & first - to the condescending consternation of those friends!) was the exquisite PEEPSHOW (my fave track: 'Turn to Stone'). They also introduced my to the deliciously arty The Creatures albums so i've got FEAST and BOOMERANG too.

Re Robert Smith / The Cure, i was associated with a group of Uni Radio folk back when 17 SECONDS came out (and revolutionised pop atmospherics & bass-sound) who got them to come out on there first Australian tour - most notably to Perth here in Western Oz which normally got passed over due to distance from everywhere else!

They played in a small upstairs venue shaped like a plastered "quonset hut"*. It was, however, like being in a London cellar-basement in atmosphere and, after being hassled by the local equivalent of the National Front (whom the band swiftly despatched with some nifty guitar-action of a non-musical kind i'd not seen them used for before!), they said it felt just like being at home and played an extended blistering & spacey set of pretty-much their whole repertoir.
[* a 'half-barrelshaped' structure proportioned like a souptin laid on its side and cut along the centreline - which would give you 2 - and made of curved corrugated-iron sheeting, the primary Oztrialian building material ]

I had the great luck to be able to catch their return for the FAITH tour and the magical & darkly brilliant 'Carnage Visors'
movie/slide-show/"oilslide"projection 'opening act'
(the soundtrack for which i got as the 'b'side of the FAITH cassette release, even tho' i already had the album).

Sadly i never got to see 'S.&t.B's live - i don't even know if they toured here.

BTW, Carol, i'd like to take this opportunity to say how very much i've enjoyed encountering your posts on Planet Skaro over the past 5 years i've lurked through the archives here. Your courageous stance for open-minded support of esoteric ideas and 'alternative'type thinking appeals to me greatly.

I don't get to do much contributing to the very entertaining dialogues on these forums - ["fora"?] forumses (for, um, says) - as i've really only been raiding sites like these for info relating to my Whoniverse research project into Daleks In PopularCulture & Fandom which started as a script-writing exercise inspired by the DW 40th-anniv.repeats on ABC (during 'The Chase' of all things). I have since been seduced by the wit & humour of this site and have made one great 'net-pal' (now penpal) from it [Cheers Wayne].

So "Hello" to the 'Happy House'

Best regards

RetroRobot
(Dalek[Theatrical]Agent & kardboardalekreplika)
Pert, (of) Western Australia
"RetroRobots Conquer & Enjoy!"

[Carol Baynes]

BTW, Carol, i'd like to take this opportunity to say how very much i've enjoyed encountering your posts on Planet Skaro over the past 5 years i've lurked through the archives here. Your courageous stance for open-minded support of esoteric ideas and 'alternative'type thinking appeals to me greatly.

Thank you Robot! That's so very nice of you, although I don't know about 'corageous', but I hope I add a positive difference.

It's good to challenge and sing to a different tune!

The 'Happy House' says "Hello" back.


This is the happy house-we're happy here
There's room for you if you say "I do"
but don't say no or you'll have to go
we've done no wrong with our blinkers on
It's safe and calm if you sing along

You've actually tempted me to adopt a Siouxsie avatar and rest the MOD picture! It's been ages since I changed it.

[Dino]

B-Side box set Downside Up. All you really need surely? Actually no, The Rapture was pretty good. As good as The Scream. The first album was equal to their last. There were some dips but generally the most underrated band of the 80's.

[RetroRobot]

Thanks for the lyric quote, Carol! It's ironically semi-appropriate to the collective agreement to be Whofans on a friendly groupsite, and inappropo in so far as diversity of opinion exists amongst all these 'Despicable-DoctorLovers' cluttering up what was once a fine Kaled-mutant Thal-hunting preserve! ("Planet Skaro" indeed!!) /;p

I'll happily swap "Courageous" with "Outrageous" if you'd like >

Nice to be a source of Temptation - or inspiration.

cheers

Retro

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