Gang of Four, I HeartHiroshima @ The Corner Hotel,Melbourne (02/03/2011)

Mon 7th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The air conditioner in the band room of The Corner Hotel was shaking off its hinges. Next to a tower of speakers, it was fixed above the exit door, and it was rattling, almost dancing, like it wanted to jump off the wall. It was shaking because of the music, namely the song that was cutting through the speakers. The song was Anthrax, the band Gang of Four, and it was loud. Dangerously loud. Squalls of feedback rolled over the crowd, jagged sheets of distortion shaking the ground, the wall, the ceiling. You could feel it in your teeth. Meanwhile, the bass churned, the drums pounded. And over it all was the voice of Jon King intoning “Love will get you like a case of anthrax/and that’s something that I don’t want to catch”.

Perhaps more than any other band of the post-punk era, Gang of Four possess the ability to unsettle. Their dual masterpieces Entertainment! and Solid Gold (released in 1979 and 1981) were perfect examples of controlled polemic rock; two tightly woven sets of rhythm, apprehension and thin-lipped fury which interrogated the connection between love, sex, politics and consumption in the modern age.

Their influence spreads across genres and styles, from Fugazi to The Rapture to Rage Against The Machine. Another of their disciples, Brisbane three-piece I Heart Hiroshima were supporting on the night. Although they don’t possess the manic aggression of Gang of Four, their blend of abrasive punk and cathartic rock, as well as the earnestness of their delivery (drummer/singer Susie is the heart in the band name) is reminiscent of the London band. Gang of Four are obviously big fans (guitarist Andy Gill mixed IHH’s 2009’s excellent LP The Rip), and judging by the applause of the packed band room, the crowd was too.

Gang of Four broke up in 1984, only 5 years after Entertainment. They reformed in 2005. This is their first tour of Australia. When talking about resurrected bands, it is hard not to frame the discussion in terms of gains and losses. During their 20 year hiatus Gang of Four lost the core of their rhythmic section in bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. What they didn’t lose was their searing intensity, their sense of purpose.

At 55, Jon King sings with that same controlled snarl, gyrating from microphone to microphone, eyes wide, the tendons of his neck bulging like snakes under his skin. It was almost hard to watch tracks like At Home He’s A Tourist and Not Great Man, such was the intensity of his performance, especially when he started destroying an microphone with a baseball bat. But then again, there isn’t very much about Gang of Four which is easy.

Andy Gill was the complete opposite, providing the icy sneer to King’s sweaty aggression. Dressed in a dapper white suit, he glared and stood at the back of the stage, his guitar barking like a gun. His melodies dictated the tone of the song; at once driving and dense, then harsh and abrasive. During the intro to Anthrax, he actually passed it, fully amplified into the crowd, to add another layer of noise to the storm.

It was a pretty sad and sweaty farewell, to a chorus of “Goodbyes” in the outro to Damaged Goods, the final track of their second encore. Even though we’d been screamed at, sworn at, had pieces of a microwave thrown at us, the crowd just wanted more. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another 25 years to see them again.