Prior to pressing play on “Juju” late last week, I had only known of Siouxsie and the Banshees as a solo act. Back in 2004, KROQ broadcasted their annual concert Inland Invasion online. Every show featured a variety of older and newer bands. This particular year was headlined by artists like Billy Idol, Devo, X, and Tears for Fears alongside Franz Ferdinand, Muse, and The Killers. So long as my internet connection didn’t crap out, these events were very formative in my music tastes. Somewhere in the middle was Siouxsie Sioux – an artist I had mostly known about because of how striking her name was in print.
This was around the start of her solo career, though it all sounded the same to me. Maybe it was because of how many hours of performances I had seen that day, but there was something about it that made me comfortable with walking away for 40 minutes to run errands. I saw her opening number and maybe a few songs, but I was not terribly interested in her moody atmosphere and gothic wardrobe. As a kid who grew up on punk rock, it felt like the antithesis of stuff I’d enjoy. She was competent, but I regrettably can’t tell you much of what went down. The only image I had for a near two decades was her in frilly black clothes writhing around to some Bauhaus-esque melody. With that said, seeing how egotistical Billy Idol’s set was has kept him a perpetual joke in my head.
With all of this said, I hope you forgive me for turning on “Juju” and just not getting it. Do I appreciate its craft? Of course. I am not denying that it fits very well in the new wave category. While many are more likely to label the band as, among other things, alternative, post-punk, or dark wave; they had the innovation that I’ve come to crave. There may have been other gothic bands of the time, but I can tell what makes “Juju” unique. It’s there in the quivering vocals, the macabre subject matter, and even the orchestration of guitars and drums that just drop you into a perpetual state of Halloween season. Siouxsie and the Banshees are difficult to mistake for just about anyone, and I love that. I just don’t like this strain of new wave as much. To me, the atmosphere only entertains for so long until the repetition and lingering minutes of a track make me impatiently call out “Next!”
Even as I struggle to appreciate their music outside of a cultural context, I am proud to say that they break a lot of stereotypes for Make It New subjects. Despite “Juju” becoming a formative record for the genre, it wasn’t their ultimate high mark. They wouldn’t be over by the Mid-80s. In fact, the band existed in some form until 1996 with a brief reunion in 2002. Their stateside success wouldn’t come until the album “Peepshow” in 1988, which also brought along with it praise from bands like The Smiths, Joy Division, The Cure, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, and more. Of every new wave band so far, they’re up there with Madness in terms of longevity and success. They may have never been the Top 40 success the majority of these bands are, but don’t write off their influence on generations of musicians.
This is why it’s difficult to discuss Siouxsie and the Banshees in a conventional sense. While I have been able to explore the formation, rise, and fall of other groups, there’s not really any downturn here. They had a substantial career prior to “Juju” and an even greater one since. That is why I may be taking some shortcuts here in regard to early recording history. While those first three albums are formative, I’d argue it would take up too much space in this already entertaining story of a band that I didn’t expect to be as lucrative as this.
This story starts in September 1975. Susan Janet Ballion, known better as Siouxsie Sioux, met guitarist Steven John Bailey, known better as Steven Severin, at a Roxy Music concert. Together they would be the only members of the band to be present in every incarnation. With that said, it wasn’t Roxy Music necessarily that inspired them to make a band. It only happened after becoming devout fans of the unsigned group The Sex Pistols.
Journalist Caroline Coon dubbed their fans “The Bromley Contingent” because of the belief they all resided in the South East London area of Bromley. They adopted the punk aesthetic and followed them to every gig. When it was announced another act was dropping out of The 100 Club Punk Festival – organized by Malcolm McLaren – Sioux and Severin decided to volunteer for the gig despite not having a band. They threw something together that included John Simon Ritchie, known better as Sid Vicious, who played drums. Their 20-minute improvisation of “The Lord’s Prayer” led to enough acclaim to be invited back to play more gigs. At different times, The Cure guitarist Robert Smith was a big enough fan to fill in for gigs.
They would eventually sign with Polydor Records because of their belief that it offered them the most artistic freedom. They would earn immediate attention for their 1978 debut “The Scream.” Many praised their sound and it led to an intriguing career. Meanwhile, there would be different band line-ups including some disputes that caused a few break-ups. By 1981 when “Juju” was released, the band would form what is considered one of their definitive line-ups featuring Sioux, Severin, as well as John McGeoch on guitar and Budgie (formerly of The Slits) on drums. While they had been known for their unique sound, “Juju” was considered their first concept album. It was unintentional as they claimed that it happened gradually. Their dark and brooding sound was only matched by their unique instrumentation.
The album would feature two singles: “Spellbound” and “Arabian Knights.” While neither were successful chart toppers, they would become some of the band’s most acclaimed works. McGeoch was especially praised for his innovation with the guitar work. His style was considered singular with The Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr suggesting that it had a unique form of plucking strings. The acoustic guitar had a foreboding sound to it. Everything was heightened and surreal, matching Sioux’s vocals of welcoming a sense of madness. All in all, “Juju” was a record that challenged what a core rock group could achieve. They could meld a melody by warping the strings. McGeoch was said to have been able to make an electric guitar sound closer to a classical instrument. Because of this, “Spellbound” would earn him a considered place among his peers as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
To be completely honest, this is a record that I struggle to pick out highlights because of how singular it is. Much like The Cure’s “Disintegration,” I personally think this is best appreciated as a front-to-back listening experience. I don’t think it tells one cohesive story, but put this on during a long Halloween night and you’re likely to get some chills. It’s not necessarily playing conventional spooky melodies, but the way that it sounds unconventional enough makes you feel the discomfort. It’s there in Sioux’s vocals or how Budgie’s drumming manages to sound like dreaded footsteps off in the distance. It’s tough to not become immersed in the sound. Sioux sounds like she’s reading you stories around a campfire, warning you of the terrors of the world. It’s not nearly as theatrical as someone like Suicide, but you still buy into the performative nature of every minute.
The record was successful enough to draw a significant fan base. It was also a detour from their previous work, “Kaleidoscope,” which was more electronic-based. “Juju” would become the blueprint for the rest of their career, finding a mix of melancholy and darkness through innovative orchestrations. Many bands of the post-punk and goth music movements would consider it highly influential and inspire more hypnotic takes on music. Compared to most Make It New bands, Siouxsie and the Banshees often felt more emphasis on instrumentation and atmosphere than subject matter. Their songs weren’t fast and to the point. They forced the listener to sit through a lengthy introduction before hearing what Sioux had to say. Because it’s unconventional compared to a lot of early 1980s bands I’ve covered, I understand why it could be considered new wave. The only downside is that most sources would label them many other things first, which makes it difficult to consider them a proper representation of the already amorphous genre.
To jump forward, Siouxsie and the Banshees would have a long and successful career with 11 albums over 20 years. Because of this, they rank as having one of the largest outputs of any Make It New band to date. Even if the band only ever had two consistent members, I also believe that they had one of the most cohesive line-ups from the point of “Juju” onward. Because of McGeoch’s and Budgie’s acclaimed instrumentation, they were a band that never truly faded into obscurity. Even if they didn’t quite have the same level of success stateside, they still managed to form a loyal fan base that clamored for every new release.
In 1996, they called it quits. They would reunite in 2002 briefly and produce a B-Sides compilation. That isn’t to say that their post-careers weren’t productive. Sioux and Budgie started a side project called The Creatures that centered around drums and vocals. Along with The Creatures, Sioux would have a solo career as of 2004. Severin would also find his own niche, releasing albums as recently as “The Telling” in 2021. Chances of a reunion were laid to rest with the passing of McGeoch in 2004 at the age of 48.
As mentioned towards the start, Siouxsie and the Banshees is a band that I wish I loved more. I recognize what’s exciting about them and even find a lot of the instrumentation innovative. The issue is that as far as personal enjoyment goes; this is a record that I never quite vibed with. While it’s possible that this is simply a byproduct of finding other post-punk bands that resonated with me more, it’s just that I found it slow and tedious. I don’t find the monotony to be a problem as I believe it’s a cohesive listening experience that is one of the most fluid I’ve experienced so far. The issue is that I might’ve expected too much from “Juju.” It sounds like a record that requires time to grow on you. Maybe I need to put myself in the right context to finally have everything fall into place.
With all of that said, this is a welcomed addition to Make It New. While I’m used to new wave bands being more deconstructionist, there is something fresh about someone looking at Top 40 rock and deciding to push more into a less commercial sound. I’m sure there have been bands who have done dark and morbid songs before, but nobody had crafted the sound quite like this. “Juju” is a record that is easy to pick out of a line-up, and I commend them for that. I’m glad that new wave isn’t only celebrated as reinventing pop music. It’s also about reconstructing how artful rock can be. We are looking for something more abstract, and I can only hope there’s more like this further up the list. I may not love it, but this fits nicely next to bands like Soft Boys who require your patience to fully enjoy. Every now and then, it’s nice to slow down and appreciate a good guitar riff or drum loop. “Juju” is a prime example of this.
Coming Up Next: Split Enz – “True Colours” (1980)
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