Gang Of Four (GB)

Seeing that we’ve hosted The Fall and Wire, we might as well uphold the tradition by featuring a band that, according to Kurt Cobain, Nirvana was created to copy. If it weren’t for them, the Red Hot Chili Peppers would be playing glam metal, and the recent resurgence of post-punk might never have happened. Gang of Four were founded in Leeds in 1977, bringing the world a completely new mix of punk rock, funk, and dub, combined with politically and socially-themed lyrics. “Rolling Stone” magazine described them as “probably the best politically motivated band in rock & roll.” Gang of Four are enjoying renewed popularity thanks to their excellent concerts and their critically-acclaimed 2011 release Content. “Telegraph” called it “their best record since the Seventies.”