Siouxsie and the B-Sides

"shut it!" screams Siouxsie from the stage of the 100 Club to some errant fool who has opened the doors leading out of the packed basement venue. “You’re letting the music out!” No, this isn’t some grainy black and white footage from her first gig in September 1976 with Sid Vicious on drums, but October 2004 where the queen of Spellbound has returned to play three intimate gigs with husband Budgie – “we get divorced when we go on tour” – and a backing band featuring Japanese Taiko drummer Leonard Eto. Eyeball to eyeball with her fans and driven by thundering rhythms of drumkit and Japanese clatter, Siouxsie dances, sings and mesmerises, giving a masterclass in how to get fans eating out of the hand. By the end of the set the sweat is dripping from her face, although like Budgie, Eto and guitarist Knox she looks as if she could go another three rounds. Nine days later at the Royal Festival Hall with an orchestra thrown into the mix, Siouxsie is screaming at the audience again to “rise up you corpses!” and get their arses to the front of the stage. Looking a decade younger than her 47 years and out-Björking Homogenic-era Björk in a stunning kimono ensemble, the face that launched a thousand female goths is riding a crest of renewed creativity. The Creatures’ latest album Hai! (2003 – the title is Japanese for ‘yes’) features Eto who, beside a gleefully chirping Budgie, creates a maelstrom of rhythm on tracks such as Say Yes, Godzilla, Seven Tears and Around The World, over which Siouxsie whoops, hollers and croons some of her best vocals ever. Prior to coming to the UK the Hai! tour slew American audiences, mixing in classic Creatures material with a chocolate-box selection of Banshee songs such as Dear Prudence, Christine, Arabian Nights, Kiss Them For Me, Happy House and of course Spellbound. At the two Dream Shows at the Festival Hall, many of these songs were fleshed out with orchestral backing from the Millennia Ensemble, a two-man percussion factory and even a harp, ensuring two hours of heavenly music on both nights. With a box set of Banshees B-sides, Downside Up, hitting the shops, Siouxsie is showing her fans with all of her heart and soul that the past is not only part of her future, but the present is well out of hand...

How did the three shows at the 100 Club come about?

We were approached first by the Festival Hall. I thought that as we were doing a tour in America and then coming back to do the Festival Hall, I would like to play somewhere where we haven’t played before or just make an event of it. The 100 Club just seemed like a perverse idea which I thought would be great if fans could get along to the shows. In conjunction with the Festival Hall, they were two extremes for venues and atmosphere – and I found that appealing.

Did it bring back any memories when you entered the club again?

Of course! It seemed huge when I was first there and it seemed absolutely cramped going back. I suppose I was reminded about how optimistic I felt when I first played there, and what was happening around that time. It reminded me of how depressing things are now in the music business, which seems to have shrunk. There are fewer record labels, but they’re bigger, more controlling and more powerful – and it’s kind of gone the wrong way.

Things like spontaneity, excitement, imagination, taking risks and being creative have suffered. It’s all gone down to business and making money – and where there’s business and making money, there are …

by Ian Shirley
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