Early band line-up. l-r John McKay, Kenny Morris, Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin.
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Originally a punk band together with other early punk rockers such as Sex Pistols and The Damned, Siouxsie and the Banshees continued to gain both critical and commercial success from the end of the 1970s and extended their career well into the 1980s and the 90s.
Founder members[]
- Siouxsie Sioux (vocals)
- Steven Severin (bass)
- John McKay (guitars)
- Kenny Morris (drums)
Later members[]
- Budgie (drums)
- Robert Smith (guitars)
- John McGeoch (guitars)
- John Valentine Carruthers (guitars)
Marco Pirroni (guitar, later of Adam and The Ants) and John Simon Ritchie (also known as Sid Vicious - drums) played for the group's debut live performance on 20 September 1976, a 20-minute improvisation based on The Lord's Prayer.
Smash Hits, 1979
Timeline[]
- November 1977: debut session recorded for John Peel (first broadcast December)
- February 1978: second John Peel session recorded and broadcast
- July 1978: debut single Hong Kong Garden released, and reaches no.7 in the UK in September.
- 31 August 1978 - debut TOTP appearance
- November 1978 - debut album The Scream released. John Peel plays the album in its entirety, the band have seven tracks in the end of year Festive Fifty.
- March 1979 - new single The Staircase Mystery released, reaches no.24 in the UK.
- April 1979 - third John Peel session broadcast
- July 1979 - follow-up single Playground Twist released, reaches no.28 in the UK. The group perform the song on TOTP 12 July - Siouxsie appears on the cover of Smash Hits the same day.
- September 1979 - second studio album Join Hands released. Again Peel played the album in its entirety, again the group have seven tracks in the Festive Fifty at the end of the year. Band members Morris and McKay leave the band. New drummer Budgie is brought in, as well as temporary guitarist Robert Smith of The Cure to complete the tour.
- March 1980 - new single Happy House released with guitarist John McGeoch, then still a member of Magazine. The single reaches no.17 in the UK, their biggest hit since Hong Kong Garden.
1980: Budgie, Siouxsie, Severin.
- August 1980 - follow-up single Christine (no.22) precedes new album Kaleidoscope, which reaches no.5, their highest album position to date.
- February 1981 - third Peel session previews new tracks.
- May 1981 - brand new single Spellbound released, reaches no.22 in the UK.
- June 1981 - fourth album Juju released, UK no.07.
- September 1981 - Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie record together as The Creatures and release the Wild Things EP; the duo appear on TOTP on 01 October to perform lead track Mad Eyed Screamer.
- December 1981 - Once Upon a Time/The Singles, the group's first compilation album, is released. The album will spend 16 weeks in the UK Top 75 albums.
- October 1982 - John McGeoch leaves the group.
- November 1982 - new album A Kiss in the Dreamhouse, preceded by single Slowdive, is released and enters the UK charts at no.11.
Record Mirror, December 1982
- December 1982 - S&TB have five tracks in the all-time festive 50 and three in the year's. The group release a 'Christmas single', their version of "Il est né le divin enfant" with Melt.
- April 1983 - The Creatures release new material - the single Miss the Girl and album Feast (no.17 in May). The duo appear again on TOTP on 28 April.
- July 1983 - a cover version of the 1962 song Right Now, not included on Feast, reaches no.14 in the UK.
- September 1983 - S&TB release a cover version of The Beatles' Dear Prudence, featuring Cure frontman Robert Smith on guitar. The single reached no.3 in the UK, becoming their biggest hit.
- November 1983 - live album Nocturne released.
- March 1984 - new single Swimming Horses is released, reaching no.28.
- June 1984 - sixth studio album Hyæna released. The US version only featured Dear Prudence and became the first Siouxsie and the Banshees album to enter the Billboard 200. Robert Smith leaves the group to concentrate on The Cure.
- October 1984 - The Thorn EP released with new guitarist John Valentine Carruthers, and features prominent use of string arrangements.
- October 1985 - new single Cities in Dust released, reaching no.21 in the UK.
- January 1986 - fifth (and final) John Peel session.
- April 1986 - seventh studio album Tinderbox released, reaches no.13 in the UK.
- January 1987 - cover version of 1968 hit This Wheel's on Fire is released as new single.
- February 1987 - session for Janice Long first broadcast.
- March 1987 - a collection of cover versions entitled Through the Looking Glass is released, preceded by single release of Iggy Pop's The Passenger.
- September 1988 - new album Peepshow released, reaches no.20 in the UK. Lead single Peek-a-Boo had reached no.16.
- November 1989 - The Creatures' second studio album Boomerang released.
- 30 May 1991 - final TOTP appearance with new single Kiss Them For Me, UK no.32, and first top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit in the United States.
- June 1991 - Superstition released as the 10th studio and 'comeback' album for S&TB.
- January 1995 - The Rapture is released as the 11th and to date the final studio album by the group. Lead single O Baby (rel. Dec. 1994) had given them their final Top 40 hit in January.
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