The group had a single in the British Top 60 with "At Home He's A Tourist" in 1979, which was blacklisted by Top Of The Pops for its use of the relatively innocuous term "rubbers". Storming, Doc Marten-booted and fueled by a heady cocktail of Gramsci, Marx and lager, out of the Leeds art-school scene that produced The Mekons and Delta 5, they played a stripped-to-the-wire, funk-fueled permutation of punk rock. This is best exemplified by the dry production and forceful polemic of debut effort Entertainment! - Gang of Four's later albums (Songs Of The Free and Hard) found them softening some of their more jarring qualities, and drifting towards disco.
Critic Stewart Mason has called "Love Like Anthrax" (their first single, later re-recorded as "Anthrax") not only the group's "most notorious song" but also "one of the most unique and interesting songs of its time"; it's also a good example of Gang of Four's social perspective. After a minute-long, droning, feedback-laced guitar intro, the rhythm section sets up a funky, churning beat, and the guitar drops out entirely. In one stereo channel, King sings a "post-punk anti-love song", comparing himself to a beetle trapped on its back ("and there's no way for me to get up") and equating love with "a case of anthrax, and that's some thing I don't want to catch." Meanwhile in the other stereo channel (and slightly less prominent in the mix), Gill reads a deadpan monologue about public perception of love, and the prevalence of love songs in popular music: "Love crops up quite a lot as something to sing about, 'cause most groups make most of their songs about falling in love, or how happy they are to be in love, and you occasionally wonder why these groups do sing about it all the time." The simultaneous vocals are more than a little disorienting, especially when Gill pauses in his examination of love songs to echo a few of King's sung lines.
Allen left after Solid Gold and was replaced briefly by Buster Jones (who never recorded with the group), then by Sara Lee; Allen later co-founded Shriekback, Low Pop Suicide and The Elastic Purejoy.
Their angular, slashing attack and liberal use of dissonance had a significant influence on their post-punk contemporaries in the States, including Mission Of Burma. Gang Of Four went on to influence a number of successful funk-tinged alternative rock acts throughout the 80s and 90s - even, arguably, many rap-rock and nu metal groups who were "not in touch with their ancestry enough to realize it" (Andy Kellman, on allmusic.com) - although few of their followers were as arty or political. Michael "Flea" Balzary of Red Hot Chili Peppers has stated Gang of Four were very influential on his band's early music.
Gang of Four can also be credited as one of the early influences on techno or electronic music; they released dance remixes of several later singles.
Recently the band has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, initially due to emergence of new post-punk influenced bands such as The Rapture and Radio 4 and then the rise of Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, which led to the renewed patronage of the NME. The original Burnham/Allen/Gill/King lineup reformed in November 2004. In October of 2005, Gang of Four released a new LP featuring new recordings of past songs, entitled Return The Gift.
Dave Allen also co-hosts a twice-weekly "New Music Hour" radio show with Portland, Oregon's 94.7 alternative radio station.
Andy Gill died on 1st February, 2020 from, according to reports, a respiratory illness caught on the group's tour in Asia the preceding year. He was the only original member still playing in the Gang Of Four.
To Hell With Poverty
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In this land right now some are insane a million charge
To hell with poverty we'll get drunk on cheap wine
To hell with poverty the check will arrive we'll turn the boast again
To hell with poverty the check will arrive we'll turn to boast again
In my arms we shall begin with none of the rocks and there's no charge
In this land right now some are insane a million charge
To hell with poverty we'll get drunk on cheap wine
The lyrics to Gang of Four's song "To Hell with Poverty" showcase a rejection of societal constraints and an embrace of cheap indulgences. The first verse represents a safe haven where there are no "rocks," or rough patches, and there's no charge. This suggests that the singer has found a place of comfort and security separate from the chaos around them. However, the second half of the verse introduces the idea that some are locked up, using the phrase "a million charge." This implies that the world outside is not as secure and that people are struggling.
The chorus then proclaims a disdain for poverty and a desire to indulge in cheap wine instead. The repetition of "to hell with poverty" stresses the singer's rejection of poverty as a societal construct. The check's arrival is seen as an opportunity for another round of revelry, and the boasting that comes with it. The song's lyrics are a call to enjoy life's simple pleasures while rejecting the societal norms that prevent people from doing so.
Line by Line Meaning
In my arms we shall begin with none of the rocks well there's no charge
We'll start this journey with no obstacles and without any cost in my embrace
In this land right now some are insane a million charge
Many in this society are deeply troubled, and they carry a heavy burden
To hell with poverty we'll get drunk on cheap wine
We reject the idea of living in poverty and will find happiness in simple pleasures, like inexpensive wine
To hell with poverty the check will arrive we'll turn the boast again
We won't let our financial situation hinder our confidence, and we'll celebrate when we receive payment
To hell with poverty the check will arrive we'll turn to boast again
We won't let our financial situation hinder our confidence, and we'll celebrate when we receive payment
In my arms we shall begin with none of the rocks and there's no charge
We'll start this journey with no obstacles and without any cost in my embrace
In this land right now some are insane a million charge
Many in this society are deeply troubled, and they carry a heavy burden
To hell with poverty we'll get drunk on cheap wine
We reject the idea of living in poverty and will find happiness in simple pleasures, like inexpensive wine
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDREW GILL, DAVID ALLEN, HUGO BURNHAM, JONATHAN KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cayle Brekka
His guitar literally sounds dangerous. Probably one of the most iconic players ever.
James D
Well said
dj
True
Kelly Townsend
Very dangerous and very outside-the-box of rock convention’s tidy perfect scales and solos, Gill was a complete original
therealsoulproduct
Had to watch this again to be reminded of how badass this legendary Post-Punk band was. They rocked the hell out of this performance! Losing Andy was one of the many sucky things about 2020. But that guitar feedback will linger on and on...#RIPAndy
martin moffitt
Absolutely dangerous sound!
Matthew J Douglas
I didn't know he was sick. I saw him in 2019 and he looked in great shape. Really great infact. So how did he die so suddenly. Was it heart failure
Russell
Gang of Four toured Australia, NZ and China in late 2019. On return to UK Andy Gill developed a mystery illness. His partner later wrote that it was likely Covid 19 but before it had been identified.
dj
One of the best bands ever!
Doug Smith
The absolute best of an exceptionally high quality arsenal of songs from this killer band