Their first single "Hong Kong Garden" reached the top ten in the UK in the summer of 1978. Their debut full-length The Scream (1978) is today considered as a classic. NME wrote in its review, "The band sounds like, some unique hybrid of the Velvet Underground mated with much of the ingenuity of Tago Mago-era Can, if any parallel can be drawn... certainly, the traditional three-piece sound has never been used in a more unorthodox fashion with such stunning results." Indeed, "Switch" placed Siouxsie and the Banshees as pioneers of the post-punk movement.
Their sophomore Join Hands (1979), perhaps their darkest record, followed up. Guitarist McKay and drummer Morris had left the band shortly after its release. This change allowed Siouxsie the Banshees to play different music. They recruited drummer Budgie and the gifted John McGeoch, formerly of Magazine, who would play guitars on the three following records. McGeoch's work with Siouxsie the Banshees would later be praised by the likes of Radiohead and the Smiths.
Their third record Kaleidoscope (1980) released. Including tracks "Happy House" and "Christine", showed a brand new musical departure with liquid guitars and atmospheric synthesizers. This eclectic record was a success and it reached the top five in the national UK charts. One year later, fourth full-length Juju (1981), with the vibrant "Spellbound", was yet another success for the band.
The last session McGeoch recorded with Siouxsie and the Banshees was for the "Slowdive" single off the classic A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982). The British press greeted this fifth release enthusiastically. NME wrote on its review, "I promise. This music will take your breath away." McGeoch, worn out by the recording process of these songs, was hospitalized on his return from a promotional trip to Madrid, Spain. At the same era, Siouxsie and drummer Budgie formed the Creatures to record music more based on percussion.
In late 1982, McGeoch was replaced by famed Robert Smith, from the Cure. Smith became a full-time member between the years 1982 and 1984. He contributed to the classic live album, and later would be DVD, Nocturne (1983) and to the sixth studio album Hyaena (1984) as co-composer.
Guitarist John Valentine Carruthers, from band Clock DVA, replaced Smith in May, 1984. He played on the successful seventh full-length Tinderbox (1986), which included the first hit single of the band in the US, "Cities in Dust". The following covers album Through the Looking Glass (1987) with "This Wheel's on Fire", allowed the band to broaden up their sound.
Following a lengthy break, the rest of the band recruited another, new guitarist Jon Klein, from Specimen and the multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick to record ninth studio Peepshow (1988). The hit single "Peek-a-Boo" was considered as avant-garde for its abrasive sounds.
After the most impressive tour of their career, Siouxsie and the Banshees stopped for a while and then the Creatures reappeared with critically acclaimed sophomore Boomerang (1989). One of the most languorous songs from this record, "Killing Time", was covered live by Jeff Buckley a few years later.
In May 13th, 1991 Siouxsie the Banshees returned with the single "Kiss Them for Me", mixing the Beatles strings over a dance rhythm. This track peaked in the US singles charts at number 23, allowing them to reach a new audience. Melody Maker praised the last two studio albums by the band, Superstition (1991) and The Rapture (1995). The latter, partially produced by John Cale, included the swansong "Forever".
Morrissey later recorded a duet with Siouxsie titled "Interlude". This one, off-single was published under the banner of the two artists' names. After 20 years together, Siouxsie and the Banshees split in April, 1996. Siouxsie and Budgie thet announced that they would carry on recording as the Creatures. They released their third studio Anima Animus (1999) to critical acclaim.
The box set Downside Up (2004) was released, compiling 51 unreleased B-sides and the highly praised out-of-print The Thorn EP. Most of these numbers like, "Something Wicked (This Way Comes)" and "Red over White", are considered by fans as 'classics.' After carrying on recording as the Creatures, Siouxsie released her debut solo Mantaray (2007). The record was hailed by both Pitchfork and Mojo.
Influence on Other Artists
Siouxsie and the Banshees have influenced musicians worldwide across many genres.
The band had a strong impact on Trip Hop acts such as:
* Tricky covered "Tattoo" to open his second solo album Nearly God. Here's his version: Tattoo. The original version of "Tattoo" was recorded in 1983 and is available on the Banshees Downside Up box set.
* Massive Attack covered and sampled the music of Metal Postcard on their song "Superpredators (Metal Postcard)" for the movie soundtrack The Jackal.
Siouxsie and the Banshees also inspired the following artists :
* LCD Soundsystem covered "Slowdive" for the cd-single "Disco Infiltrator". Here's the original Slowdive and the LCD Soundsystem version Slowdive (XFM session)
* Jeff Buckley covered live a Siouxsie / The Creatures song called 'Killing Time' originally composed in 1989 on the album Boomerang. Here's the original Killing Time.
* Morrissey stated this in 'GQ' in 1994 : "None of them are as good as Siouxsie and the Banshees at full pelt. That's not dusty nostalgia, that's fact."
* The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr from The Smiths stated on the BBC radio 2 in february'2008 that he rated very high McGeoch for his work on Spellbound.
* Garbage singer Shirley Manson wrote in the foreword of the official Siouxsie and the Banshees biography in 2003 by Mojo magazine journalist Mark Paytress : "I learned how to sing listening to The Scream and Kaleidoscope."
* Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood claims that while recording their song "There There", producer Nigel Godrich tried to get guitarist Jonny Greenwood to sound like the Banshees' John McGeoch.
* PJ Harvey selected in her top ten favourite albums of year 1999 : Anima Animus by The Creatures. aka Siouxsie.
*Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro also makes a parallel between his band and the Banshees in Siouxsie's official biography: "There are so many similar threads : melody, use of sound, attitude, sex-appeal. I always saw Jane's Addiction as the masculine Siouxsie and the Banshees."
*The Beta Band sampled the bridge of Painted Bird on their track Liquid Bird from the Heroes to Zeros album.
*Red Hot Chili Peppers covered Christine live at the V2001 festival. In 2002, their guitarist John Frusciante stated in an article featured on Total Guitar Magazine about Banshees guitarist John McGeoch : "He’s just a great guitar player, full stop. I wanted to listen to these people who weren’t just about technique but more about textures. People like John McGeoch. People who used good chords." also declaring that John McGeoch was an influence for the sound on the Red Hot Chili Peppers album By The Way.
*The Mars Volta covered Pulled to Bits (Live At The Royal Albert Hall) for the 'Wax Simulacra' single.
*Arcade Fire singer Win Butler suggested to the band Devotchka to cover the 1988 Siouxsie song : The Last Beat Of My Heart. One can listen to the Devothcka version on their Curse Your Little Heart ep.
* The Cure leader Robert Smith declared in 2003 in Mark Paytress's Siouxsie biography : "Siouxsie and The Banshees and Wire were the two bands I really admired. They meant something." He also pinpointed what the Join Hands tour brought him musically. "On stage that first night with the Banshees, I was Blown away by how powerful I felt playing that kind of music. It was so different to what we were doing with The Cure. Before that, I'd wanted us to be like The Buzzcocks or Elvis Costello, the punk Beatles. Being a Banshee really changed my attitude to what I was doing." He also talked about the band to Steve Sutherland in 1985 to describe "The Head On the Door" : "It reminds me of the Kaleidoscope album, the idea of having lots of different sounding things, different colors."
*U2 selected Christine for a compilation made for Mojo and The Edge presented an award to Siouxsie at a Mojo ceremony in 2005.
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Split in 2002
Cannons
Siouxsie and the Banshees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tempests threaten us today
There's no respite from long dark nights
Just the fantasy of spring
From the hailstones of summer
To a scorching winter land
A frozen death sleep, then this heat
Flames lick closer to the core
From city limits fireball
And in a headless chicken run
Race red and screaming fire engines
Then the cannons came
Oh 'neath the brooding sky
Beneath its baleful eye
The cannon shot, the cannon crack
Disturbing night dreams
People fled in droves
To the lakes and to the shores
Left behind a near ghost town
Save the life of the cannons resounding
Still there was no rain
No rain, no rain, no rain
Once more in the line of fire
Hovers the preying sky
The cannons aim jabs at the eye
Heralding the rain
Heralding the rain
Oh, heralding the rain
Heralding the rain
In "Cannons," Siouxsie and the Banshees explore the imagery of a tumultuous, unpredictable natural world that threatens the stability and safety of civilization. The opening lines suggest that there is a sense of impending doom on the horizon, with the "troubled weather" and "tempests" bearing down on society. Despite these threats, there is a glimmer of hope in the "fantasy of spring," and the possibility that the darker times will pass.
The song then moves on to describe a series of extremes, from "hailstones of summer" to "scorching winter land," with a "frozen death sleep" in between. The weather is portrayed as a powerful force that can cause destruction and death, as evidenced by the "flames" and "fireball" that threaten the city. In response to this crisis, emergency services race to the scene, but ultimately it is the "cannons" that come to the rescue.
The final stanza of the song sees a return to the idea of the "preying sky," with the cannons once again taking aim at the "eye" and "heralding the rain." Despite the fear and destruction wrought by the weather, there is a sense that it is part of a larger cycle of life, death and renewal.
Line by Line Meaning
Troubled weather's on its way
An ominous, stormy weather approaches
Tempests threaten us today
There are signs of a coming storm today
There's no respite from long dark nights
The nights are long and bleak with no relief
Just the fantasy of spring
The only hope is the thought of spring
From the hailstones of summer
From the troubles of one season to another
To a scorching winter land
The extreme weather continues to worsen
A frozen death sleep, then this heat
The change from extreme cold to extreme heat is deadly
Beats down on this buckled land
The land can no longer bear the harsh weather
Flames lick closer to the core
The fires are getting closer to the heart of the city
From city limits fireball
Fires had spread throughout the city
And in a headless chicken run
People were running in a panic
Race red and screaming fire engines
The fire engines are rushing to non-existent emergencies
Then the cannons came
The cannons were used as a last resort
Oh 'neath the brooding sky
Under the dark and ominous sky
Beneath its baleful eye
Under the watchful and sinister gaze of the sky
The cannon shot, the cannon crack
The sound of the cannons disrupting the silence
Disturbing night dreams
The sound of the cannons causing nightmares
People fled in droves
The people were evacuating en masse
To the lakes and to the shores
They were seeking refuge near bodies of water
Left behind a near ghost town
The city was deserted
Save the life of the cannons resounding
The only sign of life left was the sound of the cannons
Still there was no rain
Despite the cannons and the hope, there was no rain
No rain, no rain, no rain
The lack of rain was persistent
Once more in the line of fire
The city is threatened by fire again
Hovers the preying sky
The atmosphere is menacingly still
The cannons aim jabs at the eye
The cannons are pointed at the sky, trying to provoke rain
Heralding the rain
The cannons are signaling the coming of rain
Oh, heralding the rain
The hope and anticipation for the much-needed rain
Heralding the rain
The cannons continue to prophesize the rain
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management
Written by: SEVERIN, PETER CLARK, SUSAN BALLION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind