Siouxsie And The Banshees
Biography
Siouxsie and the Banshees were among the longest-lived and most successful acts to emerge from the London punk community; over the course of a career that lasted two decades, they evolved from an abrasive, primitive art punk band into a stylish, sophisticated unit that even notched a left-field Top 40 hit.
Throughout its numerous lineup changes and textural shifts, the group remained under the leadership of vocalist Siouxsie Sioux, born Susan Dallion on May 27, 1958. She and the Banshees' initial lineup emerged from the Bromley Contingent, a notorious group of rabid Sex Pistols fans; inspired by the growing punk movement, Dallion adopted the name Siouxsie and formed the Banshees in September 1976. In addition to bassist Steven Severin and guitarist Marco Perroni, the band included drummer John Simon Ritchie, who assumed the name Sid Vicious; they debuted later that year at the legendary Punk Festival held at London's 100 Club, where their entire set consisted of a savage, 20-minute rendition of "The Lords Prayer."
Soon after, Vicious joined the Sex Pistols, while Perroni went on to join Adam & the Ants. The core duo of Sioux and Severin, along with new guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris, reached the U. K. Top Ten with their 1978 debut single, "Hong Kong Garden"; their grim, dissonant first LP, The Scream, followed later in the year. Two days into a tour for their 1979 follow-up, Join Hands, both McKay and Morris abruptly departed, and guitarist Robert Smith of the Cure (the tour's opening act) and ex-Slits and Big in Japan drummer Budgie were enlisted to fill the void; although Smith returned to the Cure soon after, Budgie became a permanent member of the group, and remained with the Banshees throughout the duration of their career.
With ex-Magazine guitarist John McGeoch on board, the band returned to the studio for 1980's Kaleidoscope, a subtler and more melodic effort than their prior records; on the strength of the U.K. Top 20 smash "Happy House," the album reached the Top Five. A year later, the Banshees released the psychedelic Juju, along with Once Upon a Time, a collection of singles; at the same time, Sioux and Budgie formed the Creatures, an ongoing side project. Following 1982's experimental A Kiss in the Dreamhouse, McGeoch fell ill, and Smith temporarily rejoined for the group's planned tour; a pair of 1983 performances at London's Royal Albert Hall were recorded and later issued as Nocturne. Also in 1983, Severin and Smith teamed as the one-off project the Glove for the LP Blue Sunshine.
After his recovery, McGeoch opted not to return, so the Banshees recruited former Clock DVA guitarist John Carruthers after Smith exited following the sessions for 1984's dark, atmospheric Hyaena. With 1986's Tinderbox, Siouxsie and the Banshees finally reached the U.S. Top 100 album charts, largely on the strength of the excellent single "Cities in Dust." After 1987's all-covers collection Through the Looking Glass, Carruthers took his leave and was replaced by ex-Specimen guitarist Jon Klein and keyboardist Martin McCarrick for 1988's Peepshow, a techno-inspired outing that gave the group its first U.S. chart single with "Peek-a-Boo."
In 1991 -- the year in which Sioux and Budgie married -- the Banshees performed on the inaugural Lollapalooza tour; their concurrent LP, Superstition was their most commercially successful, spawning their lone U.S. Top 40 hit, "Kiss Them for Me." Another singles collection, Twice Upon a Time, followed in 1992 before the group returned after a long absence with 1995's stylish The Rapture, produced in part by John Cale. A year later, the nostalgia surrounding the reunion of their former heroes the Sex Pistols prompted Siouxsie and the Banshees to finally call it quits; Siouxsie and Budgie turned to the Creatures as their primary project, while Severin composed the score for the controversial film Visions of Ecstasy. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

At The BBC
2009

Kaleidoscope (Remastered 2006)
2006

Join Hands
2006

The Scream
2006

Downside Up
2004

The Seven Year Itch Live
2003

The Best Of Siouxsie And The Banshees
2002

Twice Upon A Time - The Singles
1992

Peepshow
1988

Through The Looking Glass
1987

Kaleidoscope
1980
Yeah yeah yeahs totally rip this woman's voice off. Karen O! I am calling you out!
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Great band, good music and lyrics along with the Siouxsie's voice makes this band treat every time. Along with The Cure every song takes you back to a life moment, good or bad.
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this band always yakes me to the good ole days> a time when everything was magic. everything in my world was brand new. xtc was legal and around every corner was a whole new adventure. good times good times
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any band that can pull off a Beatles cover and manage to do it well should get some respect. love what they did with "Dear Prudence". most musicians know covering a Beatles song is harder than it would first appear.
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oh my gourd -- what the heck is that album cover for PEEPSHOW?!?! that is by no means correct.
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Siouxsie is the ultimate musician, and very underrated, in my opinion. Siouxsie was the first to step up and say "This is me, take it or leave it!" and for that, I respect her completely. Also, I appreciate the beautiful musical gifts she has given so freely, and the inspiration she has created in so many artists to continue making beautiful music for everyone to enjoy.
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CaitlinVande t t e , it's obvious that you havent listen to much of the Banshees. Compare The Scream -vs- Superstition . Their music has changed over the years, like most good long-running artists have. As for fame, the Banshees were relatively unknown to the mainstream until Superstition came out. As for their look, it was original, and some consider her the Queen of Goth. If anything future artist took their look from her.
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I don't get why people like this band. They cannot sing and all their music sounds the same. I am not a hater but I think people should look beyond their fame and how they look. They sound the same live as they do on their CDs but that doesn't make them good. Susan Dallion is very pretty without the makeup and fried hair.
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They are about as classic as it gets. What a wonderful career they have had. So many magical songs and magical moments. In Shadow Time....
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This band makes me want to dress in all black preferable leather, with spiking heels and lots of bracelets while slithering across a stage. Sezzzzy! Loves it! I saw this band perform at the first Lollapoolza in 1991. I thankful that I was able to appreciate them then and now.
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Has anyone heard of their song sick child? Its my favorite and in my opinion their best song of all time!
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It's really spelled Sixousiesie, which is her real name. But if you say that it unleashes the Creatures-Th a t - C a n n o t - B e - N a m e d .
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Siouxsie is the ultimate!! From the raw punk songs to the beautiful soft, her voice puts me at rest when I listen to her. Elegant and sophisticate d yet on the edge! THANKS SIOUXSIE
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A credit to women in rock!! smart, beautiful, and so very talented, I will always thank god for Siouxsie!! What would I have done without her in the 80's?
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There was never anyone like her and there will never be anyone like Siouxie and the Banshees ever again. She is as unique today as she ever was. What a timeless beauty! With voice of angels....
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siouxsie is the s**t. You teenie boppers are just benefiting from the trailblazing nuts that strong punks like siouxie. Punk lives
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Ahh, ...just like the good old days. Dark music and dark smoke filled clubs fill my head...
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In the 70's Sioxsie was punk, now she's Goth? Not to pu pu you kids but some times beauty is as defiant of label as it is ageless! Besides what about Peek-A-Boo? Was that some mainstream ploy or was it the forerunner of some of the cut and paste champs we see now, alla Beck, The Flaming Lips and even Andrew Bird?
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It's hard to believe that Siouxsie is 50! She still rocks, though. You can see a video of her very recent "Into a Swan" on Amazon, and it's super sweet.
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