20 Minutes To 20 Years – The Banshees' Tale

AS EDITOR OF LEGENDARY FANZINE ZIGZAG, KRIS NEEDS HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT FOR THE EXPLOSIVE RISE OF SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES

In September 1976, Siouxsie & The Banshees defined the DIY punk ethic by venturing onstage for the first time with instruments they’d never touched until the day before. Siouxsie became one of the faces of British punk, but the Banshees subsequently developed a sound which left Ramonesimitators in the dust; fearlessly uncompromising, experimental, always progressing but boasting uncanny pop sensibility. Their striking, sometimes shocking, visuals cleverly avoided obvious moves like pushing Siouxsie as a UK Debbie Harry.

From the numbered gatefold of their first 7” single, Hong Kong Garden, Siouxsie & The Banshees paid special attention to presentation and marketing. They were at the forefront of the 12” revolution, including extended mixes and bonus tracks, while sleeves and videos came with band-hatched concepts. Even now they stand alone among the bands from that era.

In 1976, you couldn’t miss Siouxsie and her suburban misfit mates, dubbed the Bromley Contingent. Siouxsie always had a voracious desire to break out of suburban normality in the loudest, most shocking way possible, getting an early taste of the night-life by accompanying her go-go dancer sister to work and frequenting the capital’s underground gay clubs. She met a fellow malcontent called Steve at a Roxy Music gig and, along with others …

by Kris Needs
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