Sex Gang Children

Sex Gang Children are an early gothic rock and post-punk band that formed in early 1982 in Brixton in London, England. Although the original group only released one official studio album, their singles and various other tracks have been packaged into numerous collections and they remain one of the more well-known bands of the early Batcave scene and have reformed for new albums and touring at various times since the early 1990s. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

The original lineup was Andi Sex Gang (vocals, guitar), Dave Roberts (bass), Terry McLeay (guitar) and Rob Stroud (drums).<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Sex Gang Children", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, Template:ISBN</ref> They were a dramatic band, relying on heavy bass, tribal drumming, sudden mood shifts, dramatic vocals and a cabaret sound (influencing the rise of the later dark cabaret scene). The band's first release was a cassette-only live album, Naked, in 1982.<ref name="Larkin80">Template:Cite book</ref> The Beasts EP, their first vinyl release, followed the same year after they signed to the Illuminated label.<ref name="Larkin80"/> The band's only studio album from their original period together, Song and Legend, was released in 1983, reaching the top of the UK Indie Chart and spawning the single "Sebastiane".<ref name="Larkin80"/> Stroud departed to form Aemoti Crii, to be replaced by former Theatre of Hate drummer Nigel Preston, who played on the band's next single, "Mauritia Mayer", before himself being replaced by former Death Cult drummer Ray Mondo.<ref name="Strong" /> Roberts left in late 1983 to form Carcrash International, and the line-up settled to Andi, McLeay, Cam Campbell (bass) and Kevin Matthews (drums), a change forced by Ray Mondo's deportation to his native Sierra Leone.<ref name="Strong" />

Following McLeay's departure in 1984, the band was renamed Andi Sex Gang & the Quick Gas Gang for the 1985 Blind! album<ref name="Larkin80"/> and tour (McLeay did not leave until after that album's recording, however; guitarist Lester Jones from Crisis performed the live shows). The band split afterwards.

Renewed interest in the band in the United States led to a reformation in 1991, including Roberts, and a new album, Medea, in 1993.<ref name="Strong" /> As a solo artist, Andi went on to make a number of well-received albums for various labels.

Name

Sex Gang Children were originally called Panic Button.<ref name="Strong" /> The name "Sex Gang Children" was taken by Malcolm McLaren from a William Burroughs novel as a possible name for the band that became Bow Wow Wow (and is referenced in their song "Mile High Club") and was one of the names that Boy George considered for his band before choosing "Culture Club".<ref>Bright, Spencer (1995) Take It Like A Man: The Autobiography of Boy George with Spencer Bright, PAN, p. 182, Template:ISBN</ref> SGC vocalist Andi tried to persuade George to use the name, but when Culture Club drummer Jon Moss passed on the idea, Andi decided that the name should not go to waste.<ref name="Larkin80"/>

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart.<ref name="Lazell">Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, Template:ISBN</ref>

Studio albums

• Song and Legend (1983, Illuminated Records) No. 1
• Blind (1985, Illuminated Records), (1992 reissue, Cleopatra Records)
• Medea (1993, Cleopatra Records)
• The Wrath of God (2000, Dressed to Kill)
• Bastard Art (2002, Burning Airlines)
• Viva Vigilante! (2013, Pale Music)
• Oligarch (2021, Liberation London)

Singles and EPs

• Beasts (1982, Illuminated Records) No. 8
• "Into the Abyss" (1982, Illuminated Records) No. 7
• "Sebastiane" (1983, Illuminated Records) No. 19
• "Mauritia Mayer" (1983, Clay Records) No. 7
• "Dieche" (1984, Illuminated Records) (No. 15)
• "The Quick Gas Gang" split with Christian Death (1992, Cleopatra Records)
• "Salamun Child" (2009, Song & Legend)
• "Hollywood Slim M G T Remix" (2014, self-released)
• "Sebastiane" (2014, Song & Legend)
• "Death Mask Mussolini" (2021)

Live albums

• Naked (1982, self-released) No. 15
• Sex Gang Children (1984, self-released)
• Ecstasy and Vendetta Over New York (1984, ROIR) No. 20
• Nightland (Performance USA 83) (1986, Arkham)
• Play with Children (1992, Cleopatra Records)
• Live in Paris '84 (1996, Nigma Records)
• Live in Vienna (2011, Pink Noise)
• Live at the Batcave (2014, Liberation London)

Compilation albums

• Beasts (1983, Illuminated Records)
• Re-enter the Abyss (The 1985 Remixes) (1985, Dojo Records) No. 22
• The Hungry Years - The Best of Sex Gang Children (1991, Receiver Records)
• Dieche (1993, Cleopatra Records)
• Welcome to My World (1998, Receiver Records)
• Pop Up - The Rare and Unreleased World of Sex Gang (1999, Dressed to Kill)
• Shout & Scream: The Definitive Sex Gang Children (1997, Age of Panik)
• The Legends Collection: The Sex Gang Children Collection (2000, Dressed to Kill)
• The Dark Archives - Volume One (2000, Hollow Hills)
• Empyre and Fall (2000, Hollow Hills)
• Demonstration! (2000, Magicavern)
• Fall: The Complete Singles 1982-1992 (2001, Burning Airlines)
• Execution & Elegance: The Anthology 1982-2002 (2004, Castle Music)
• Demonstration - Expanded Deluxe Edition (2008, Song & Legend)
• Electric Jezebel - Singles Collection A & B Sides 1982-83 (2016, Liberation London)
• Fear, Silk, and Sex 1981 - 2013 (2019, Cleopatra Records)

Home videos

• Live at Ocean (2002, MVD Visual)

External links

• Official Sex Gang Children site