Dave Allen (Gang Of Four, Shriekback) RIP

Dave Allen RIP

We are sorry to hear of the passing of Dave Allen, the bassist with the game-changing band, Gang Of Four.

Dave’s bass was the core of the band’s sound, which became influential in the late seventies. His jet propelled funk bass lines straddled the incendiary power of punk and the groove of funk and gave the band a radically different edge when combined with Hugo Burnham’s powerhouse drums and Andy Gill’s shrapnel guitar. When you first heard them live or on the radio they caught the moment with their thrilling combination of sound and changed the musical landscape with their sonic adventures.

A whole generation of music fans have grooved to these iconic bass lines at gigs and on dance floors at the time, and the very sound of the bass seemed to put the band’s politics into a perfect groove. The band, formed at Leeds University in the late seventies, had been inspired by the excitement and possibility of punk rock musically, culturally and politically. Taking the theoretical approach of their Leeds University courses, they combined this raw thrill of the Clash and created a political post-punk that sounded like the possibilities of ideas and a revolution of their own. Their influence has echoed through the decades, and many bands have embraced their possibilities and the bass drove the songs and hung them together and created the shuddering monster groove for the dance floor resonates for ever.

In later years he moved to the USA and ran record labels like World Domination Recordings and would still get his bass out when called upon.

After leaving Gang Of Four, he put together Shriekback with XTC keyboard player Barry Andrews and continued his adventures into the left field groove with great results. The Gang of Four put a statement up on their Instagram page this afternoon.

Dave Allen RIP