Sex Gang Children - Dieche 12''

If it's dark, windy and wet on a cold winter's night, and you're being pursued by multiple unknown assailants, hell-bent on annihilating you, in ways that even a horror movie couldn't capture, I really would be really hard-pressed to conjure up a more apt and distressing soundtrack.

If you are one of those beset by preconceived notions of what "goth" is, back off. Sex Gang Children are conveniently clubbed together with Death Cult, Bauhaus, The Sisters Of Mercy, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry...etc. Not heavily featured here before because I struggled to find decent up-loads of their fantastic singles. Their one and done debut album is absolutely amazing and should be listened to with the volume waaaay up (partly because it's a very quiet vinyl rip). Dieche is the last of the original (ish) bands releases, brought out just before they split up for the final time and Andi chose the solo path. The original version of Dieche is on the B'side of the single Into The Abyss (try it, you'll like it), this version is a drawn out mix of that original. 

Now, if that wasn't enough to get you hooked up and reaching for that download tab, try this on for size. Sex Gang Children comfortably keep up with, and at times surpass, the best of Public Image Ltd. (circa Metal Box), captured most perfectly on this great single. That said, unless they aren't alternatively sounding like bat-possessed Crass, which isn't a bad thing either....Fantastic stuff!

Sex Gang Children - Dieche (Compilation)

Sex Gang Children was formed by vocalist and frontman Andi McElligott (Andi Sex Gang) at the beginning of 1982. Rising from the wreckage of the Punk ethos, they quickly gained a reputation with their dark, intensely theatrical live performances and uniquely jagged art rock style. Sex Gang Children have never compromised in their approach to the art and remain seminal figures in the Post Punk scene. The now widespread Goth movement looks directly to them as one of its founding fathers. Their classics such as Deiche, Sebastiane and Mauritia Mayer remain Goth club favourites all over the world. 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.

Now because this is probably the last of my Sex Gang Children posts for the forseable future, I figured why not close the circle with a biography of the band from start to untimely finish. A single port of call if you will, for early SGC along with a comp that highlights the early release's finishing with the rare track "People With Dirty Faces".

Biography by Dave Thompson

One of the most original and, in terms of frontman Andi Sex Gang's longevity, persistent of all the early-'80s British goth bands, the Sex Gang Children came together in early 1981 around a nucleus of bassist Dave Roberts, guitarist Terry MacLeay, and drummer Rob Stroud. All were unknowns, ensuring that the group's name was more fascinating than their membership. A William Burroughs line that had been grafted into a song by Bow Wow Wow, "Sex Gang Children" was promptly co-opted by one Boy George when he bowed out of that band after just two live shows in February 1981 to form his own group. But hopeful of landing a swift record deal, George conceded that Sex Gang Children was not a name that would take them far. He chose Culture Club instead, then gifted the discarded name to Andi.

By early 1982, the Sex Gang Children were regulars at the Clarendon Hotel in Hammersmith, where they recorded their debut album, the cassette-only live album Naked. The Illuminated label moved in for them within weeks of its release; the band's first single, the four-song Beasts EP, was in the stores by August 1982. Days later, however, it was out of them again, after somebody realized they'd not procured the necessary permissions for the Diane Arbus photo on the picture sleeve. With a major lawsuit apparently imminent, the record was briefly withdrawn while the sleeves were removed, but still Beasts reached number eight on the indie chart and hung around the listings for much of the next 12 months.

Even more impressively, the band was attracting attention from further afield, as well. Tony James, midway between playing bass with the now-sundered Generation X and masterminding the nascent Sigue Sigue Sputnik, was sufficiently enamored to produce the Children's next single, October 1982's "Into the Abyss."

Spring 1983 saw Sex Gang Children's sophomore album, "Song And Legend", top the independent chart for a fortnight, before spinning off their classic hit single, the title track and the tumescent, eerily fiddle-fired "Sebastiane." Of course, the band also starred on The Whip, the now-legendary goth compilation conceived by Dave Roberts, but despite these successes the Sex Gangs quickly discovered that record companies and contracts are not, necessarily, the answer to an artist's prayers. When the band's contract with Illuminated expired in June 1983, any number of major record labels were actively in pursuit of the group. Buoyed by a swaggering confidence that really did seem to be their right, the band turned them all down, convinced that something better was just around the corner. Sadly, it wasn't. They had burned their boats with Illuminated as well, and slowly things began disintegrating.

Rob Stroud was first to depart, simply not turning up to a show. (He later resurfaced in Aemotii Crii.) The band initially replaced him with Steve Harle, before turning to former Theatre of Hate drummer Nigel Preston, and in September 1983, a one-off deal with the independent Clay label brought a new single, "Mauritia Mayer." Added to the stockpile of material cut since the last album -- an impressive bundle that included fresh sessions with Tony James -- it boded well for a new LP. Barely had this lineup settled down, however, than Preston quit to rejoin his old Theatre of Hate mate Billy Duffy in the Cult.

The Cult's own former drummer, Ray Taylor-Smith, promptly replaced him, only to be forced out just months later when, returning to London from their first American tour, the band discovered that the Sierra Leone-born drummer was in the U.K. illegally. He was deported home, at which point Roberts, too, quit the band.

Andi and MacLeay kept the Sex Gang Children alive for a few months more, returning to Illuminated to cut a new single, "Draconian Dream," with a new rhythm section of Cam Campbell and Kevin Matthews. Producer Simon Boswell also remixed "Dieche," the B-side of the old "Into the Abyss" single. This became the A-side and, in July 1984, Sex Gang Children scored their final independent hit.

Unfortunately, it was too late to save the band. They broke up weeks later, with Andi Sex Gang promptly salvaging the material bound for their next album as the basis for his own solo debut. Since that time, Andi Sex Gang has maintained a profile that is all his own, while the Children, too, have resurfaced on occasion, both to record new material and repackage old.

Sex Gang Children - Medea

The second (third including Blind) album Medea by Sex Gang Children released in 1993 is widely praised as a consistent, high-energy, and moody compilation of the band's work, often described as a "non-stop," "flawless" album. It features a mix of intense gothic rock and post-punk, a classic alongside Song and Legend, from ten years prior, with notable, atmospheric tracks like "Barbarossa" and the title track, making it a favourite for many fans. The album is described as having a dark, serious, and rocking, yet atmospheric, sound with notable, moody synth elements. Unlike some of their more "random" releases, Medea is noted for its cohesion, featuring strong, high-tempo tracks alongside more atmospheric ones. It is highly regarded for being a, "inventive and original" display of early 80s gothic/positive punk. Released during the second wave of gothic-industrial music, this album combined both hauntingly dark keyboards and traditional rock instrumentation that defined this era of post-punk!

Sex Gang Children - Mauritia Mayer 12''

Sex Gang Children’s "Mauritia Mayer" (1983) is a dark, theatrical post-punk/gothic rock single featuring Nigel Preston on drums. It is regarded as a high-intensity, "killer" single from the era, often highlighting the band's signature dramatic vocals and moody, cabaret-influenced sound. It is considered a key, though sometimes overlooked, part of the early 80s alternative scene. The single is part of the band's early, influential repertoire that helped define the early gothic rock scene in London. 

London’s fervent Sex Gang Children were all the rage of the English underground in 1982-’83, spearheading the positive-punk movement which mixed the raw energy and commitment of punk rock with the dark theatrics of goth. Sex Gang’s individual parts resemble a mélange of the Banshees, T. Rex, Bowie, UK Decay, Sex Pistols and Adam and the Ants, yet the whole really resembles none of the above. Dave Roberts’ droning, spiny bass work is the music’s dominant feature of the music (practically a lead instrument), battling with Andi Sex-Gang’s androgynous, high-pitched vocals, Terry Macleay’s scratchy/chiming guitar overlays and Rob Stroud’s tribal drum patterns. Like many enthralling substances, their music — with its breathtaking shifts in tempo and mood — can be hard to digest at first, but there’s addiction in its opulent din.

Sex Gang Children - Sebastiane 7 & 12"

Sex Gang Children’s only studio album from their original period together, Song and Legend, spawned their third single "Sebastiane". If an acquired taste, Andi Sexgang's singing is definitely the most extreme contribution to the group's sound; his Marc Bolan fandom is obvious throughout, but more from the early Tyrannosaurus Rex bleating lamb days than anything else. He’s also dramatic and clearly having incredible fun throughout, with his trademarked herky-jerky vocals and a high-pitched violin adding to the mania, "Sebastiane" is a crazed and wonderful showcase of Batcave era Goth.

Sex Gang Children - Song And Legend

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. 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".

You always knew it was going to be a headlong plunge into squealing vocals, post-punk bass moans, and dancefloors laden with incense. Songs like "Shout and Scream," and the herky-jerky "Sebastiane," with high-pitched violin adding to the mania, are crazed and wonderful showcases. Dave Roberts' bass work is very much the counterpoint instrument; the appreciative liner notes mention a love for Peter Hook, which is obvious but not an exact clone and his combination of high and low is a keeper. The constant tempo shifts and careening within most of the songs themselves (due credit for drummer Rob Stroud and his quick work) give most everything an unexpected complexity, rock songs that rarely sound run of the mill.

Sex Gang Children - Into The Abyss 7''

"Into The Abyss" by Sex Gang Children, released as a 7-inch single, is a cornerstone of early 1980s post-punk and gothic rock, often praised for its dark atmosphere, frantic energy, and Andi Sex Gang's unique, dramatic vocals. As a key track from their 1983 album Song and Legend, it features driving, percussive elements, with some, like producer Tony James, noting the echoing, "catacomb sheen" of the production. The song is frequently described as dark, haunting, and a prime example of the "positive punk" or early Goth scene. It features a, to quote Trouser Press, “tom-tom mantra” and “shifting shadow” guitar work. As part of the Song and Legend era, it is considered a seminal track by a "pioneering British band". Often grouped with other, to quote ukdecay-heritage, "powerful" tracks of the era, "Into The Abyss" is remembered as a standout moment for the band. 

Sex Gang Children - Beasts 12'' EP

Released in June 1982 on the Illuminated label, the Beasts 12" EP by Sex Gang Children is widely regarded as a cornerstone release of the early Batcave/positive punk scene. It established the band's signature, highly theatrical, and dark gothic rock sound. The EP is characterized by a mix of dark, atmospheric post-punk with strong glam rock and cabaret influences, featuring heavy, driving bass lines, tribal-esque drumming, and jagged, "shifting shadow" guitars. 

A superb four track EP showcasing Sex Gang Children's off-kilter rhythms and strangely catchy but distinctly weedy guitar lines. With Andi's near-incoherent multi-tracked howl of a vocal and the stuttering, jarring drumlines. Beefheart's Magic Band and US Maple probably trained for months to get their dissonant, stumbling style together. Here, it feels natural. Which may or not be a good thing, depending upon your view of how important virtuosity is in music. Personally, I couldn't care less, and if it sounds cool, that's good enough for me. Ok, it doesn't exactly sound cool either, what with it being goth, and goth is never, ever, cool. But I love it. Talking of not making sense, what the hell is "The Queen of the Artichokes"? I'm semi-convinced Andi developed his screeching vocals stylings just to hide the fact that some of his lyrics were distinctly peculiar. Ok. Stumbling, nonsensical, incoherent, rather like this review. But great. That's where we differ, I guess.