At some point in 1979, I saw a band at a fun bar in Chicago called Mother’s. Their name was Gang Of Four. With all the hype I had heard, I was pretty excited to see them…especially at this bar where I’ve seen a few breaking bands (Cheap Trick, St Louis Sheiks, etc.). And with The Buzzcocks! Honestly, their live set was pretty great. It’s one of those early embryonic live shows where I was completely in awe of the music happening right in front of me. Since then, I’ve held Gang Of Four pretty close to heart.
These days, Gang of Four is only Andy Gill. Having lost original members, Jon King, Hugo Burnham, and Dave Allen along the way due to various reasons, we’re left with Gill and who sides with him. But the beautiful thing is that his current band is quite strong musically making this edition of Gang Of Four to be quite enjoyable….still!
For proof of that, we could turn to the 2015 release of What Happens Next. That album was as satisfying as many Gang Of Four releases. I attribute that to the strong leadership of Andy Gill. What’s even more exciting is that Gang of Four was a band that was way ahead of its time back in the post-punk era of the late ’70s/early ’80s. So much so that they easily fit into this era of Rock.
On September 9, further proof of their timelessness can be attained within their upcoming Metropolis Records-released DVD/CD, Live…In The Moment. After viewing a segment from that set, it’s easy to see that timelessness as being true (see for yourself below with a 2015 performance of “At Home He’s A Tourist” from Entertainment!)!
Live…In The Moment was recorded live at their Islington Assembly Hall performance in London. The songs on this film are fourteen performance tracks that include “Damaged Goods”, “I Found that Essence Rare”, “Anthrax”, and “At Home He’s A Tourist” from Entertainment! (1979), and “Paralyzed”, “What We All Want”, and “Why Theory?”from Solid Gold (1981). The rest are scattered selections from the other albums.
Live…In The Moment will add in the CD for audio enjoyment of the show as you go out into the world. There will be a vinyl LP released as well, same date.
Even with this edition of Gang Of Four, this band is no joke.