Gang of Four. Photo / Supplied
Among the remarkable things about Britain's post-punk GoF - aside from their excellent albums Entertainment! and Solid Gold (in 1979 and 1981) where they pulled pulled politics, sonic punch and aggressive dance into the same space - is that they are still here, albeit after various periods off-duty and now
without founder member/singer Jon King, whose style defined a large part of their sonic attack.
Though this continues in the same tradition it certainly isn't quite as visceral as Content of four years ago, let alone those first two. But when the alignment of politics and taut, menacing pop-rock - with new singer John Sterry - come together (First World Citizen which is like brittle Bowie-funk, England's in My Bones, the strident and almost shred-metal Broken Talk, the latter sung by guest Alison Mosshart of Kills/Dead Weather) they impress and sound angrily relevant.
With other guests (Gail Ann Dorsey, Japanese guitarist Tomayasu Hotei among them) main man Andy Gill has resurrected the band as a continuation of its sometimes illustrious past but allowed it to push in new directions, as on the disturbing, bellicose and social observations of Obey the Ghost.
Original fans might find this a harder call than a new generation.
