ANDI SEX GANG: CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF ‘SONG AND LEGEND’
SEMINAL post-punk goth outfit SEX GANG CHILDREN celebrate the 40th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album, ‘Song and Legend,’ at London’s 100 Club on Friday night (October 20th)
But what does founder and frontman Andi Sex Gang recall about the band’s earliest live performance?
“At the beginning of 1982, the very first SGC show was at a Soho club called ‘Gossips,’ which later became the venue for club nights such as ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ and ‘The Batcave,’” he said.
“That very same night Killing Joke and UK Decay were playing in another London venue. There were only about thirty people at our show, but we gave it all we had and more. I remember the atmosphere was very electric and energised. It felt more like a ‘do or die’ situation, but we came through it. It certainly felt like a new beginning.”
With Friday’s line-up completed by Rob Stroud (drums), John Rigby (bass), and Jerome Alexandre (guitar), the event will be a welcome return to the live arena after the band’s previous tour collapsed due to the worldwide pandemic.
“We did have a very busy year planned in 2020,” adds Andi. “UK, European and US tours were booked, but then cancelled due to the Covid 19 epidemic and the lockdown that followed. Things have taken a while to reschedule, as thousands of other bands had to do the same and were all waiting for new time slots to open up for rescheduling.
“Aside from that, I immersed myself in other projects such as my forthcoming book ‘Bastard Art,’ and an updated version of the ASG music documentary by Vince Corkadel of the same name. During this time, we also recorded and released the SGC album, ‘Oligarch,’ and ‘A History of the Hanged,’ the debut album from one of my new projects ‘Dada Degas,’ with fellow SGC cohort, John Rigby.
“We are doing shows next year, some are already booked, and the rest are in the planning stage. This will all be announced through our official channels soon.”
Having been such an influential, innovative figurehead within the industry for over four decades, and once stating he hoped his music would, “…be used like a sword against the music business,” does the fire still rage within?
“Perhaps more so now than ever. And so long as it burns, I will always continue to make art, whether it’s through music, spoken word or painting.”
Finally, I couldn’t help but wonder if there will be any performance surprises in store on Friday, and in the build up to the gig, what has Andy been listening to?
“Funnily enough, I’ve harked back to some old favourites. A few months back it was ‘Combat Rock’ and ‘Sandinista,’ (The Clash), then a swing to early Renaissance music from Italy. And most recently, my oddball mix cassettes I taped from non-commercial radio stations back in the 1980’s. These tapes contain a mishmash of music from all over the world, strange and non-typical of their origins to a modern ear. And that makes them all the more compelling as original pieces. Forever relevant and timeless.
“And Friday? Well, our personas evolve the more we experience life. And expression of that persona evolves as well. So, who knows what will happen or how it will be. As for surprises, hmmm, if we strolled onstage with baseball caps, beards, and faded jeans, now that would be a surprise.”
Forever relevant and timeless indeed – just like ‘Song and Legend.’
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A limited number of tickets remain available for Friday night, details here: THE 100 CLUB |
ASG online: Andi Sex Gang (@Dada_Degas) / X (twitter.com)
SGC online: SexGangChildren.com (andisexgang.com)
(Photographs & images (c) Andi Sex Gang)
