Gang of Four Return

Gang of Four, one of the most influential late-Seventies post-punk groups, are Cheap Rosetta Stone set to play their first shows with their original line-up in over twenty years. Known for their politicized punk-and-funk sound, the Brits will perform five U.K. dates in January, with possible gigs to follow in the U.S. this spring. This will mark the first time the band -- singer Jon King, guitarist-vocalist Andy Gill, bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham -- performs together since 1981. Over the years, the group was approached with reunion offers, but with the influence of the Four apparent in newer bands such as Franz Ferdinand and the Futureheads, the timing seems right now. "The interest is certainly stronger than its ever been," says Burnham from his home in Massachusetts just before heading over to London for rehearsals. "There have always been acts -- whether it was R.E.M., the Red Hot Chili Cheap Rosetta Stone V3 Peppers or even Kurt Cobain -- clearly acknowledging the influence we had on them and how excited they were by what we did. What we did creatively still resonates with people. So the four of us decided, Well, maybe we could make this work this year.""We all agree that it had to be fun," Burnham continues, "and that it had to work around our individual lives to make it worthwhile. We have a strong creative legacy, and the last thing we wanted to do is go out and fuck that up by doing a half-hearted job."The set list for the U.K. shows -- beginning on January 23rd at the Manchester Academy, and wrapping up on the 28th at Londons Shepherds Bush Empire -- will mainly draw on material from the Fours early albums. "It would be folly to go out and try to foist new music on people because were not usually together all the Rosetta Stone English V3 time," says Burnham, who has no plans to head into the studio. "What resonates is the old stuff, and we need to go out and do that. After all, the crux of it is the four of us onstage playing, making loud rude noises and running around furiously."Gang of Four formed in 1977 when the members were university students in Leeds. Their full-length debut, 1979s Entertainment!, is now considered a classic (Rolling Stone named it one of the 500 greatest albums of all time). "It wasnt defined by the times," explains Burnham on why the album still holds up. "We werent screaming about Margaret Thatcher. It was emotional politics -- the personal dynamics and issues, empowering yourself and questioning whats going one. That doesnt change."In 1981, after their second album, Solid Gold, bassist Allen left the Cheap Rosetta Stone V3 band, followed by Burnham two years later.

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