#4 SiouxsIe & the Banshees

4th August, 1981

Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Cardiff

Support: John Cooper-Clarke

Another very strange venue. It collapsed years later in a storm!

There were some crowd issues here, too, when, on more than one occasion, the band stopped and John McGeogh, the guitarist, swung his guitar menacingly at some clowns in front of the stage. Some serious shit.

Siouxsie was an imposing presence, with her vocals constantly teetering on the tone-deaf. The star of the show, without question, though, was the self-effacing guitarist, John McGeogh. What a talent! This line-up was probably the best incarnation of the ever-evolving group. By now my cleaner’s (in Crete) brother had long gone, having eloped with the bassist. Punk, eh?

By this stage of their career the Banshees were old hands and their performance showed. Utter class. We were treated to a mix of old and new, with most of the big hits covered. We got fantastic versions of Christine, Spellbound, Arabian Nights, Staircase (the Mystery), as well as Hong Hong Garden and my favourite, Switch. A nod to the past came with Helter Skelter and Dear, Prudence.