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.
www.siouxsie.com
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Split in 2002
Nightshift
Siouxsie and the Banshees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In darkness... I feel you
A bride by my side-I'm inside many brides Sometimes I wonder...
What goes on in your mind, always silent and kind unlike the others...
Fuck the mothers kill the others
Fuck the others kill the mothers
I'll put it out of my mind because... I'm out of my mind with you
My Night Shift Sisters
Await your nightly visitor
They don't bother me
No they don't bother me
The cold marble slab submits at my feet with a neat dissection...
Looking so sweet to me-please come to me with your cold flesh-my cold love
Hissing... not kissing
A happy go lucky chap... always dressed in black he'll come to you, he'll come to you
My Night Shift Sisters
With your nightly visitor
A new vocation in life
My love with a knife
Fuck the mothers kill the others
Fuck the others kill the mothers
I'll put it out of my mind because... I'm out of my mind with you
In heaven and hell with you...
The lyrics of "Nightshift" by Siouxsie and the Banshees evoke a sense of darkness and mystery, as the singer describes a hidden world that only reveals itself at night. The imagery is particularly striking, as she depicts herself with a "bride by my side" and "inside many brides," suggesting a potentially violent or gruesome ritual. The lyrics also contain a repeated refrain of "Fuck the mothers, kill the others," which adds to the unsettling tone of the song.
As the singer wonders what goes on in the mind of her partner, who is always "silent and kind unlike the others," she seems to revel in the dangerous and taboo aspects of their relationship. The lyrics suggest a fascination with death and violence, as she describes a "cold marble slab" and "cold flesh" with a "knife." Despite the disturbing content of the lyrics, the song has a seductive quality to it, as the singer talks about being "out of my mind" with her lover and experiencing both heaven and hell with him.
Overall, "Nightshift" is a haunting, atmospheric song that combines Gothic and punk influences to create a unique sound and lyrical content.
Line by Line Meaning
Only at night time... I see you
I only have the chance to see you at night
In darkness... I feel you
I feel your presence in the dark
A bride by my side-I'm inside many brides Sometimes I wonder...
I have been with many women, but I wonder about what's going on in your mind because you're unlike the others
What goes on in your mind, always silent and kind unlike the others...
I am curious about your thoughts because you are silent and kind unlike the others
Fuck the mothers kill the others
A disturbing thought that I’ll try to forget
Fuck the others kill the mothers
Another disturbing thought that I’ll try to forget
I'll put it out of my mind because... I'm out of my mind with you
I'll forget these thoughts because I am madly in love with you
In heaven and hell with you...
I am ready to go through anything with you
My Night Shift Sisters
Await your nightly visitor
They don't bother me
No they don't bother me
The women I encounter during my nightly escapades don't bother me, especially my Night Shift Sisters who eagerly wait for my visit
The cold marble slab submits at my feet with a neat dissection...
Looking so sweet to me-please come to me with your cold flesh-my cold love
Hissing... not kissing
I find pleasure in dissecting lifeless bodies on a cold slab, but I can only hiss at them, not kiss them
A happy go lucky chap... always dressed in black he'll come to you, he'll come to you
Me, the happy-go-lucky chap who always wears black will come to you
My Night Shift Sisters
With your nightly visitor
A new vocation in life
My love with a knife
My Night Shift Sisters and their nightly visitor have given me a new purpose in life, which is to love with a knife
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@WeirdoArg
it's just perfect. it's like having visions from a dark magical world... one of my favorite songs
@Alianger
such a dark, relentless beat.. love it. And siouxsies performance is flawless.
@thenightbreak
I remember being in love with her sense of fashion. That mix of 1920s, 30s...what a great time that was.
@garypledger217
i was at this gig in fact i went both nights i followed siouxsie around alot and its great to hear it again first see them in bishops stortford in 78 i think or it was at the chelmsford odeon cant remember now ill have to check me tickets thanks for posting it
@leonoordc
I've seen this a hundered times, but still it's amazing!
@manghilicani
robert smith on guitar
@aetechllc
God, what a kick azz band! She is so incredible and the band is magik! Kudos!
@RainmanCT
love this video. robert smith on buzzy buzzy guitar
@zeroTiza
I´m in love with Siouxsie!!!
@falstaffffffffffff
C´mon this was 1983, an era where they didn't have these bourgoisie-armpit-statement, she was wild, dangerous and punk...did you get it?