As a crowd ranging somewhere between middler year and middle age held their breath in anticipation of the show to come at a packed-out Avalon May 16, the seminal post punk band Gang of Four let out the sigh of relief more quickly than their fans could as they took the stage.
Guitarist Andy Gill took the stage, stone-faced, repeating only one chord before the rest of the band — vocalist Jon King, drummer Hugo Burnham, and bassist Dave Allen — took the stage to launch the set off into a frenzy of disco beats, jagged guitar lines and remarkably frenetic energy.
Though they are approaching 50-years-old, Gang of Four still commands attention through all their actions.
As Allen and Gill stalked across the stage trading themes and King threw his hands up to the audience, the finality of the moment could be felt even for young music fans who were not even born when the music was originally released.
This tour marks the reunion of these four original members for the first time since early 1980, when the band broke because of Allen’s departure.
Their first two albums, “Entertainment!” (1978) and “Solid Gold” (1980), are the touchstone of modern rock like Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine as much as they are punk or the indie rock sound of bands like The Rapture, Fischerspooner, or any other band with a dance beat and a disaffected vocalist.
Like many influential acts such as the Pixies, Gang of Four reaped virtually no success at the time, living modestly while being the influence for later, more successful bands.
Their guitar riffs are unneveringly jagged and their lyrics are relentless in overturning many of the taboos of the time, including open homosexuality, femininity, and poverty at a time when Margaret Thatcher boasted of good economic times.
As norms have relaxed and music has become more aggressive, though, critics and other artists point more and more to this band as a touchstone of aggressively infectious music.
This resurfacing may be no surprise, given the fact that bands like the Cure and the Pixies have embarked on one last jaunt to take the credit they were due when they were originally active. However, the variable that always plagues these types of concerts is whether or not the band can ever hope to re-create the type of experience you would have expected when they were initially active.
Gang of Four shook that off in their first song, and showed that they were still full of a few antics.
At one point, Gill tossed his guitar to the ground several times, bringing walls of brilliant feedback.
To keep the rhythm in one song and symbolize his views of the entertainment world, King took a baseball bat to a TV. He ended up denting the entire top of the console, and swatted it off the stage to the cheers of the crowd.
Undoubtedly, though, the sharp performance of almost all of “Entertainment!” was what demonstrated that the band’s impressive comeback was perhaps more than a midlife money-grab.
Even on songs like “Ether,” that only feature bass, drums, and King and Gill’s speaking voices intertwining, the band was remarkably engaging, the crowd hanging off of every word.
The more fired-up “To Hell With Poverty” and “At Home He’s a Tourist” inspired the crowd to get involved and start dancing. It was not until the encore, though, with the single “Damaged Goods” that the crowd released their full capability, shouting every word and singing back every response part of the song that probably launched a million indie rock bands with its fervent chorus, “I’m kissing you goodbye.”
Brooklyn band Radio 4 ruined the early vibe with a set of derivative Gang of Four material, but nothing could keep the roof on the place that it seemed Gang of Four was ready to break down all over again.
