The Departure/Gang Of Four: on the crossroads of time

The Departure

It is hard to believe that The Departure formed just over a year ago because they’ve achieved so much without media/label/whomever going into a hype-overdrive. The Northampton-based band simply toured their music that put forward chart candidature with two singles, ‘All Mapped Out’ and ‘Be My Enemy’. [The third one, ‘Lump In My Throat’, is the next one, out at the end of March.]

The band, fronted by charming David Jones, shows fair amount of confidence live but there is, one feels, a potential yet to be realised. Previewing material from as-yet-untitled debut album [produced by Alan Moulder of Depeche Mode fame], due some June date, the five members in their early-twenties provided a superb support to the reformed legends Gang Of Four.

The Departure turned out to be the only support tonight due to Infrasound - debut single ‘Deerhunter’ released on 10 January 2005 via Versity Music - being involved in a crash on M1; we believe that there were no injuries, just material damage. (SS)

Gang of Four

It was 23 years ago this line-up played together last and it wasn’t a show demanding a storm of superlatives to be unleashed but it certainly was a gig where ‘old skool’ provided plenty of pointers to the survival-with-dignity as well as the future. Still, nostalgia being the malaise of damaged culture fuelled by the unsatiatable greed-for-profit, when art-, agit-, Intel-rockers with a funk edge regroup, one has to question motives.

The main reason is that this foursome appear to be more valid than in the bygone days [judging by the influence and inspiration to artists from Franz Ferdinand - bassist Dave Allen mistook one of their songs for Go4’s when he took his daughter to see FF in Portland, Oregon] and The Futureheads - their debut disc was produced by Mr Gill - to LCD Soundsystem. Go4, who got together while studying in Leeds, are well aware that issuing new material is useless and are touring only their golden moments.

And they deliver it via a set that rocked funkily, funked angrily and intensely entertaining whilst voicing a dystopian imagery. All updated, upgraded and refreshed with better sounding gear and infused with a new set of post-band experiences, the songs tend to go way off their recorded scope, often into a challenging avant-garde.

Gang Of Four, who played a short reunion Brit-tour [and plan a longer jaunt across the States], performed without any new material. The reason is that this is only one-off reformation due to three of the members having actually left the business for some other careers: one’s in television, one in marketing and one teaches in Boston. Until recently they hadn’t all met up for 15 years.

But, this is not first attempt of a reunion: Jon King (vocal, melodica, tambourines), and Andy Gill (guitar) issued two albums under the Go4 banner during the 1990s [‘Mall’, 1991, and ‘Shrinkwrapped’, 1995] but without their powerful rhythm section of Dave Allen (bass) and Hugo Burnham (drums). This is their proper reformation since early-1982 when Allen departed the ranks; the band continued for a few more years, splitting in 1984.

King dances his manic way through it - as if choreographed by the same one employed by David Byrne, i.e. uncoordinated, jerky, anti-dance effectively - moving between three mikes. Although all members contribute to vocals, guitarist Andy Gill took two lead vocals to Allen’s one, their harmonies are strange and complex, often four different parts.

Repertoire performed contained most of the ‘Best of’ moments [as found on ‘A Brief History Of The Twentieth Century’ compilation from 1990 that was re-released by EMI about a year ago] - ‘At Home He’s A Tourist’, ‘Love Like Anthrax’, ‘Damaged Goods’, ‘We Live As We Dream, Alone’ (dedicated to Infrasound by Gill), ‘Paralysed’… But, surprisingly, no ‘I Love a Man in a Uniform’, ‘Armalite Rifle’, ‘Is It Love’…

Go4 never cared for the common band set-up and really deconstructed and redefined the line-up’s roles: instead to be backing King they were often confronting him, challenging, having a dialogue. Passionate, invigorating, awakening, righteous, catchy, disturbing, it still is all and more. They appear to be more extreme in attitudes although less political, more resolved although less militant, and at times - fairly related to Sonic Youth.

Times change and meanings shift with them: a critical line from ‘… Tourist’, ‘He fills his head with culture’, now sounds very much like a mocking one. Perhaps that’s the reason they elect not to perform ‘I Love A Man In A Uniform’. It was a single destined to secure them some decent chart action but BBC blacklisted it due to the Falklands Conflict (1982).

The members, all in their mid-40s, look good and haven’t piled on pounds… erm, apart from (drummer) Hugo Burnham who’s always been on the chubby side. We only mention it because this is extremely image-aware period - he and Allen provide the best rhythm section this side of Sly & Robbie - where looks matter more than licks. It certainly has never been an issue with Go4 where ideas and opposition to the mass brainwashing always ruled way above any fashion demands.

Go4 are pioneers who come from the twilight theatre that ones spelt collective mind they defined “neo-Marxist funk” but it was a funky social debate, actually. And, an ace lesson. (SSW)