Gang of Four was formed in Leeds in 1976 by bassist Dave Allen, drummer Hugo Burnham, guitarist Andy Gill, and singer Jon King. The band pioneered a style of music that inverted punk's blunt and explosive energies – favoring tense rhythms, percussive guitars, and lyrics that traded in Marxist theory and situationism. They put every element of the traditional "rock band" format to question, from notions of harmony and rhythm to presentation and performance. This original lineup of the band released two monumental albums, Entertainment! (1979) and Solid Gold (1981).
Some of the most powerful, energized, and memorable music of the UK's potent post-punk era of the late 70's and early 80's came courtesy of Gang Of Four, and it all started with their trailblazing 1979 debut Entertainment! Punk, funk, explosive prog-rock, and literate and often incendiary lyrics fused into a signature, groundbreaking sound that would influence countless bands to come. Home to the classics "I Found That Essence Rare," "Damaged Goods," "Ether" and "Anthrax."
