Sex Gang Children: Black Bull Gateshead – Live Review (John Robb)
https://louderthanwar.com/sex-gang-children-black-bull-gateshead-live-review/
Sex Gang Children
Black Bull, Gateshead
November 24th 2023
So the fightback has started.
In a week in which we have seen the Death Cult bring houses down with great shows up and down the UK with the band in fiery form and The Sisters Of Mercy delivering their eternal mystery, Siouxsie reemerging and The Mission on top form, fellow travellers Sex Gang Children have been out on a lower key yet equally vital tour claims John Robb (author of ‘The Art Of Darkness – The History Of Goth’)
Somehow the vagaries of life have conspired to see the band play smaller venues than their contemporaries. Of course, the venues are packed and the faithful are fired up but this is not the way things should be!
And not the way things will remain…!
This current tour is a 40th-anniversary celebration of their debut ‘Song and Legend’ album that was a sonic template of so much of what was to follow. With a different line up to the original droogs of singer Andi Sex Gang and drummer Rob Stroud – the band sound even more urgent and vital and a sharp reminder that there was a point in time 40 years ago when Sex Gang Children were on the cusp of being one of the alpha bands of a new darker strand urgently emerging out of punk – the fabulous freak show that was somehow eventually called ‘Goth’. In that 1982 vacuum after their first wave of punk had fallen apart or hit the charts like Adam And the Ants, a new wave of bands with long and starling names embraced the key sex style and subversion strands of punk and went from fierce cult underground to reimagining a whole scene. It felt like Southern Death Cult were going to be the northern shoe in for the new pop/noise and Sex Gang Children the southern contingent and both bands would be the twin godheads for a new way.
I still clearly remember my band, Membranes, supporting Sex Gang Children at the then Leeds Poly to a sold out 800 crowd in 1983. The band were on the cusp of greatness. Their ‘Song And Legend’ album was a startling slice of melodramatic psychodrama that combined jagged post punk, bass driven mood swings and a Bolan-esque beauty with Brecht & Weill if they were on the guest list of the Batcave whilst channelling Marlena Dietrich and Edith Piaf in the startling vistas of the songs dramatic tension and release. That night the band were perfectly of the moment and their theatrical stage show and charismatic frontman tied the loose ends from punk and tribal culture into a cadaverous sex beat of their own. Not only were they at the height of their freak cool they were also lovely to play with, treating a bunch of noisy bumpkins like us with respect and courtesy, which is the kind of thing you remember.
Then they imploded.
There was intermittent action and solo adventures and then a reformation in 1991 and more recently. Their recent 2021 release Oligarch album proved they had lost none of their dark creativity and singular vision and cemented their untainted cult status but tonight feels different. It feels like a band claiming what is rightfully theirs. A classic album given a new sheen catches the wave of interest in all things Goth as people seek out the true source of the form.
It makes for a captivating spectacle.
The Black Bull in Gateshead is one of those heart and soul venues where music matters. It oozes a ribald warmth and is a safe house surrounded by the concrete poverty of the nearby shopping centre. It’s the kind of big-hearted operation run on love and high decibels and the perfect space for a band that brings its own magic to the space.
Sex Gang Children in 2023 are far away from a bunch of lags slogging about for the kudos and the cash. Somehow they are still on a mission and the current lineup frames the unique vision of their singer with a brilliant dislocation of that post-punk trip delivered with a perfect musicality and precision. The rhythm section is intricate, with John Rigby celebrating those iconic bass lines loping high up the neck or hitting grinding sex grooves locking with the tribal pounding of Rob’s drums. Jerome Alexander brings his much-travelled guitar craft into the mix with his adventurous sonic soundscapes taking advantage of the new tech and pedal-geggion to create post John McGeoch shards of beautiful sound extrapolating on the original guitar work and blasting it into the 21st century.
Andi Sex Gang is, of course, the ringleader – the great lost starman of the early eighties whose sound and vision remains intact. He owns the stage with his operatic voice which is part Maria Callas and part J Rotten PiL and part Marc Bolan but in reality all his own. His whole presence and sound is a portal back into the possibilities of that post-punk interzone. He soars, he growls, he hollers and it’s a pure sound. His voice is remarkably intact, just like Ian Astbury’s larynx a few nights earlier. He still creates a drama on stage with his theatrical presence and body shapes it’s a theatrical holy communion that breathes fire into these old songs that pulls the packed audience into his world as they pulsate to the organic powerful grooves and devilish sonic adventures.
This is music that is somehow both experimental and captivating and the reaction tonight is powerful. The old songs have never dated – ‘Sebastiane’ still pulsates with a glorious off-kilter ooze and lesser known cuts really benefit from the upgrades. On this kind of blistering form, the Sex Gang Children story is far from over. The online chatter from the tour has been wildly positive. The band has been around for a long time but if feels like they may have got into gear and perhaps, perhaps, could claim their rightful spotlight as articulate experimental thrilling pop/noise makers from a period of time when that stuff mattered. Far from being just a celebration of the past Sex Gang Children’s romp through their much loved album feels like the starting point to a different future.
Black Bull, Gateshead
November 24th 2023
So the fightback has started.
In a week in which we have seen the Death Cult bring houses down with great shows up and down the UK with the band in fiery form and The Sisters Of Mercy delivering their eternal mystery, Siouxsie reemerging and The Mission on top form, fellow travellers Sex Gang Children have been out on a lower key yet equally vital tour claims John Robb (author of ‘The Art Of Darkness – The History Of Goth’)
Somehow the vagaries of life have conspired to see the band play smaller venues than their contemporaries. Of course, the venues are packed and the faithful are fired up but this is not the way things should be!
And not the way things will remain…!
This current tour is a 40th-anniversary celebration of their debut ‘Song and Legend’ album that was a sonic template of so much of what was to follow. With a different line up to the original droogs of singer Andi Sex Gang and drummer Rob Stroud – the band sound even more urgent and vital and a sharp reminder that there was a point in time 40 years ago when Sex Gang Children were on the cusp of being one of the alpha bands of a new darker strand urgently emerging out of punk – the fabulous freak show that was somehow eventually called ‘Goth’. In that 1982 vacuum after their first wave of punk had fallen apart or hit the charts like Adam And the Ants, a new wave of bands with long and starling names embraced the key sex style and subversion strands of punk and went from fierce cult underground to reimagining a whole scene. It felt like Southern Death Cult were going to be the northern shoe in for the new pop/noise and Sex Gang Children the southern contingent and both bands would be the twin godheads for a new way.
I still clearly remember my band, Membranes, supporting Sex Gang Children at the then Leeds Poly to a sold out 800 crowd in 1983. The band were on the cusp of greatness. Their ‘Song And Legend’ album was a startling slice of melodramatic psychodrama that combined jagged post punk, bass driven mood swings and a Bolan-esque beauty with Brecht & Weill if they were on the guest list of the Batcave whilst channelling Marlena Dietrich and Edith Piaf in the startling vistas of the songs dramatic tension and release. That night the band were perfectly of the moment and their theatrical stage show and charismatic frontman tied the loose ends from punk and tribal culture into a cadaverous sex beat of their own. Not only were they at the height of their freak cool they were also lovely to play with, treating a bunch of noisy bumpkins like us with respect and courtesy, which is the kind of thing you remember.
Then they imploded.
There was intermittent action and solo adventures and then a reformation in 1991 and more recently. Their recent 2021 release Oligarch album proved they had lost none of their dark creativity and singular vision and cemented their untainted cult status but tonight feels different. It feels like a band claiming what is rightfully theirs. A classic album given a new sheen catches the wave of interest in all things Goth as people seek out the true source of the form.
It makes for a captivating spectacle.
The Black Bull in Gateshead is one of those heart and soul venues where music matters. It oozes a ribald warmth and is a safe house surrounded by the concrete poverty of the nearby shopping centre. It’s the kind of big-hearted operation run on love and high decibels and the perfect space for a band that brings its own magic to the space.
Sex Gang Children in 2023 are far away from a bunch of lags slogging about for the kudos and the cash. Somehow they are still on a mission and the current lineup frames the unique vision of their singer with a brilliant dislocation of that post-punk trip delivered with a perfect musicality and precision. The rhythm section is intricate, with John Rigby celebrating those iconic bass lines loping high up the neck or hitting grinding sex grooves locking with the tribal pounding of Rob’s drums. Jerome Alexander brings his much-travelled guitar craft into the mix with his adventurous sonic soundscapes taking advantage of the new tech and pedal-geggion to create post John McGeoch shards of beautiful sound extrapolating on the original guitar work and blasting it into the 21st century.
Andi Sex Gang is, of course, the ringleader – the great lost starman of the early eighties whose sound and vision remains intact. He owns the stage with his operatic voice which is part Maria Callas and part J Rotten PiL and part Marc Bolan but in reality all his own. His whole presence and sound is a portal back into the possibilities of that post-punk interzone. He soars, he growls, he hollers and it’s a pure sound. His voice is remarkably intact, just like Ian Astbury’s larynx a few nights earlier. He still creates a drama on stage with his theatrical presence and body shapes it’s a theatrical holy communion that breathes fire into these old songs that pulls the packed audience into his world as they pulsate to the organic powerful grooves and devilish sonic adventures.
This is music that is somehow both experimental and captivating and the reaction tonight is powerful. The old songs have never dated – ‘Sebastiane’ still pulsates with a glorious off-kilter ooze and lesser known cuts really benefit from the upgrades. On this kind of blistering form, the Sex Gang Children story is far from over. The online chatter from the tour has been wildly positive. The band has been around for a long time but if feels like they may have got into gear and perhaps, perhaps, could claim their rightful spotlight as articulate experimental thrilling pop/noise makers from a period of time when that stuff mattered. Far from being just a celebration of the past Sex Gang Children’s romp through their much loved album feels like the starting point to a different future.
Photo: Henry Harris
Andi Sex Gang @ MODU club, Athens 27.11.2016 - Nick Drivas
Photos: Angelos Angelopoulos
Maverick musician Andi Sex Gang, mostly known for his work with post punk goth pioneers Sex Gang Children, gave his first live show in Athens Greece on the 27th of November. On that dark Sunday evening, with the rain pouring down hard on the city of Athens, we witnessed one of those rare and intimate performances that Andi Sex Gang gives once in while. Although the turnout was small, the crowd was spread out nicely all around the venue, with some seated at tables and stools, some die-hard fans in front of the stage, giving the feel of a more cozy cabaret atmosphere.
First up on the bill were special guests New Zero God. This local post-punk goth act stepped on the stage and shot out some of their tremendous tracks from their three albums. This was the first time I saw them with their new line up with Michalis Semertzoglou on bass. Although this was his second appearance with the band they played very well and proved to be a very tight outfit.
He made a very good rhythm section with drummer John Psimopoulos. As always, Mike Pougounas the singer, brought out his best vocals, with a highlight on “Garden Of Mazes“, one of my favourite tracks from their latest album “Short Tales & Tall Shadows“. Their guitarist, Akis Nikolaidis, added the fierce riffs which probably were responsible for the comment made by Andi Sex Gang’s manager Lara “Support band is good! Guns’n’Roses meets The Damned”. The band left the stage after playing a finale with three of their most catchy songs “Bang Bang“, “Shut Up” (another personal favourite) and “Kiss The Witch“.
Setlist:
Dead Inside
My Reaper
Strangest Of Fruits
Garden Of Mazes
Angeline
Damaged
King Pest the First
Bang Bang
Shut Up
Kiss The Witch
Next up and greatly anticipated was Andi Sex Gang. He took to the stage with guitarist Matthew James Saw. They had just flown over from Warsaw after they had played a Sex Gang Children gig, part of their latest Jezebel tour. They opened with a great slow version of “Barbarossa” with Matthew picking out sharp notes from his 12 string electric guitar while Andi, who was standing next to him, was singing and moving majestically, waving his arms, slowly captivating us from the first instant and drawing us into his art. From that first track everyone in the audience knew that we were witnessing something very special. Andi then took his guitar and sat on a stool while they played two Marianne Faithfull covers, “Strange Weather” and “Come And Stay With Me“. Andi was in a good mood, bringing his positive vibe over to the audience. Speaking to us between tracks, telling us some interesting facts about the way the songs where composed and also discussing current world issues. He also spoke the little Greek he knew and entertained us with some of the “dirty words” he still remembered. They continued with a selection of Andi’s solo work and many Sex Gang Children tracks. I was delighted to hear some of personal favourites like “Saraband For Dead Lovers“, “Sunset Of Crow” and “Arms Of Cicero“. All performed superbly semi-acoustic with Andi’s characteristic voice in top shape. They kept entertaining us with every song they preformed, with anthems such as “Sebastiane“, the yet unreleased “Goodbye Berlin“, the beautifully played “Medea” up to the end with “Song And Legend“.
Although many had anticipated a full band Sex Gang Children show, after bearing witness to this live appearance, all agreed that this was a very special show. It’s not often that one gets to see such solo acts. Especially when the artist is someone like Andi Sex Gang who has such a big history and such a great personality. I was thrilled meeting him and Matthew after the gig and seeing how lovable chaps they both are. Hopefully we will see them again and if we’re lucky as Sex Gang Children, as well.
Setlist:
Barbarossa
The Messenger
Strange Weather
Come And Stay With Me
Power Waits
Babes In The Wood
Saraband For Dead Lovers
Sunset Of Crow
Belgique Blue
Dead Mans Hill
All American Heart
Arms Of Cicero
Sebastiane
Goodbye Berlin
Medea
Song And Legend
Maverick musician Andi Sex Gang, mostly known for his work with post punk goth pioneers Sex Gang Children, gave his first live show in Athens Greece on the 27th of November. On that dark Sunday evening, with the rain pouring down hard on the city of Athens, we witnessed one of those rare and intimate performances that Andi Sex Gang gives once in while. Although the turnout was small, the crowd was spread out nicely all around the venue, with some seated at tables and stools, some die-hard fans in front of the stage, giving the feel of a more cozy cabaret atmosphere.
First up on the bill were special guests New Zero God. This local post-punk goth act stepped on the stage and shot out some of their tremendous tracks from their three albums. This was the first time I saw them with their new line up with Michalis Semertzoglou on bass. Although this was his second appearance with the band they played very well and proved to be a very tight outfit.
He made a very good rhythm section with drummer John Psimopoulos. As always, Mike Pougounas the singer, brought out his best vocals, with a highlight on “Garden Of Mazes“, one of my favourite tracks from their latest album “Short Tales & Tall Shadows“. Their guitarist, Akis Nikolaidis, added the fierce riffs which probably were responsible for the comment made by Andi Sex Gang’s manager Lara “Support band is good! Guns’n’Roses meets The Damned”. The band left the stage after playing a finale with three of their most catchy songs “Bang Bang“, “Shut Up” (another personal favourite) and “Kiss The Witch“.
Setlist:
Dead Inside
My Reaper
Strangest Of Fruits
Garden Of Mazes
Angeline
Damaged
King Pest the First
Bang Bang
Shut Up
Kiss The Witch
Next up and greatly anticipated was Andi Sex Gang. He took to the stage with guitarist Matthew James Saw. They had just flown over from Warsaw after they had played a Sex Gang Children gig, part of their latest Jezebel tour. They opened with a great slow version of “Barbarossa” with Matthew picking out sharp notes from his 12 string electric guitar while Andi, who was standing next to him, was singing and moving majestically, waving his arms, slowly captivating us from the first instant and drawing us into his art. From that first track everyone in the audience knew that we were witnessing something very special. Andi then took his guitar and sat on a stool while they played two Marianne Faithfull covers, “Strange Weather” and “Come And Stay With Me“. Andi was in a good mood, bringing his positive vibe over to the audience. Speaking to us between tracks, telling us some interesting facts about the way the songs where composed and also discussing current world issues. He also spoke the little Greek he knew and entertained us with some of the “dirty words” he still remembered. They continued with a selection of Andi’s solo work and many Sex Gang Children tracks. I was delighted to hear some of personal favourites like “Saraband For Dead Lovers“, “Sunset Of Crow” and “Arms Of Cicero“. All performed superbly semi-acoustic with Andi’s characteristic voice in top shape. They kept entertaining us with every song they preformed, with anthems such as “Sebastiane“, the yet unreleased “Goodbye Berlin“, the beautifully played “Medea” up to the end with “Song And Legend“.
Although many had anticipated a full band Sex Gang Children show, after bearing witness to this live appearance, all agreed that this was a very special show. It’s not often that one gets to see such solo acts. Especially when the artist is someone like Andi Sex Gang who has such a big history and such a great personality. I was thrilled meeting him and Matthew after the gig and seeing how lovable chaps they both are. Hopefully we will see them again and if we’re lucky as Sex Gang Children, as well.
Setlist:
Barbarossa
The Messenger
Strange Weather
Come And Stay With Me
Power Waits
Babes In The Wood
Saraband For Dead Lovers
Sunset Of Crow
Belgique Blue
Dead Mans Hill
All American Heart
Arms Of Cicero
Sebastiane
Goodbye Berlin
Medea
Song And Legend
Matthew James Saw and Andi Sex Gang
New Zero God
Sex Gang Children 2016-Review by Mick Mercer
Live Review: Sex Gang Children @ Workman’s Club, Dublin 3rd Oct 2016
Andi Sex Gang on stage @ Workmans.
Live Review: Sex Gang Children @ Workman’s Club, Dublin 3rd Oct 2016
By Caoimhe Lavelle October 28, 2016 Sex Gang Children bring their gothic brilliance to Ireland for the first time.The Sex Gang Children; only the band that Culture Club could have been! This might sound like a joke, but it’s true; Culture Club originally wanted to use the name taken from a William S Burroughs story. It’s hard to imagine that Culture Club would have had such chart success and radio play with such a name. Indeed even today in 2016, at a point where Sex Gang Children have gained legendary status in particular for their live performances, the band had great difficulty in promoting the tour. When I inquired at a Ticketmaster shop if they were selling tickets, I was told that the system wouldn’t allow for searching those words. Ticketmaster were not selling tickets, and many other companies declined to sell tickets. Friends of mine who were postering for Dublin show found many establishments would not allow the posters to adorn their premises. I told as many people as I could that Sex Gang Children were playing. In the Workmans! The tickers costing a mere fifteen euro! As it stands now, several of SGC’s dates in the UK have been cancelled due to the band’s name. As manager Mark Musolf writes in his review of the Sex Gang Children’s tour, the Dublin gig was booked with help from both Gavin Friday and the local Dublin scene: “The tour would mark Sex Gang Children’s first ever visit to both the Republic and Northern Ireland so our fate was in the hands of the fans, and with a little help from Gavin Friday, we were booked at the Workman’s Club in Dublin.” Mark Musolf But where Boy George and company couldn’t possibly have lived up to that seedy and outrageous name, the Sex Gang Childen have run away with it. His lyrics are works of gothic art in a literary sense; tirades of sinister utterances, like the ravings of the possessed. Unlike many other bands similarly damned to be labelled as ‘goth’; genuinely bloody scary. Characters in his songs seem cursed to occupy the gleefully tragic realms of murder, punishment and cruelty, landscapes of broken hearts and ripped veins, hammered home relentlessly and without relief. His work is visionary in that it creates a sense that Andi has borne witness to something Other, something Beyond, and captures the infernality of this vision in his song-writing. Even their set list, which I was emailed a photograph of by somebody who was at the gig and which of course ended up in my spam folder, reads like a google search that might get you on some kind of watch-list, with such goodies as “Death Worship”, “German Nun” “Children’s Prayer” and “Cannibal Queen”. After the gig it has become apparent to me that I had been missing out on a huge element of the Sex Gang Children’s cathartic appeal; the live experience. The atmosphere was truly seedy. Due no doubt to difficulties in promoting the gig (some of my friends postered for the gig and found few establishments would allow advertising a gig for a band with such a name), the gig was a bit roomy but consisted of the guts of the Dublin goth scene, a room full of familiar faces in close proximity. Andi Sex Gang has described his performance as being influenced by Edith Piaf. It does most certainly carry on in the tradition of torch songs, reminiscent at times of the tragic and mournful tone of Portuguese Fado singing. But if somebody had never listened to music of this ilk I’d describe Andi’s singing style as similar to Bowie’s most alien wailing, with that kind of high intensity maintained constantly. And yet his performance had a climax; when he stepped down from the stage. Or did he, demonically possessed, float down from it? It’s hard to tell but shoulders rubbed and I may have waved my armpit in his face. It was the kind of sleaze that would make Marc and The Mambas proud. I got to meet Andi and the Sex Gang Children after the gig (it was a pretty socially intimate, scene-y setting), and ask him a question or two. I asked if he prepared much for his live shows, given how vocally demanding his style is. He said he didn’t, and rather simply allowed it to happen as he arrives on stage. He also told me that I reminded him of Edith Piaf – a compliment which I was honoured to put in my pocket. Furthermore I think that the Sex Gang Children were given, against all odds, a great welcome here in Ireland, playing here for the first time, a mighty scene triumph. Find Sex Gang Children on Facebook. Follow Overblown on Facebook and Twitter. 
Andi Sex Gang and Caoimhe Lavelle dance it up @ Workmans.
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SCHOLOMANCE WEBZINE - REVIEW
Live Report | Sex Gang Children @ Bus Palladium, March 31, 2016
