Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band. Formed in September 1976, the group originally consisted of vocalist Siouxsie Sioux, bassist Steven Severin, guitarist Marco Pirroni and drummer Sid Vicious. The first recording line-up featured John McKay and Kenny Morris in place of Pirroni and Vicious. Siouxsie and Severin were members throughout the band's entire lifetime, alongside drummer Budgie who joined in 1979, and a rotating cast of guitarists including John McGeoch and Robert Smith. The band broke up in 1996 but reformed for a tour in 2002 with a line-up of Siouxsie, Severin, Budgie, and guitarist Knox Chandler.
History Vocalist Siouxsie Sioux (real name Susan Ballion) and bassist Steven Severin (real name Steven Bailey) formed Siouxsie and the Banshees in September 1976, debuting with a line-up including guitarist Marco Pirroni and drummer Sid Vicious (real name John Ritchie). Two months after the performance, Pirroni and Vicious were replaced by Peter Fenton and Kenny Morris, respectively, although Fenton was sacked after a live show the following May due to stylistic differences with the other members. By July he had been replaced by John McKay, who also contributed saxophone to the group. The line-up of Siouxsie, McKay, Severin and Morris released two studio albums – 1978's The Scream and 1979's Join Hands – before McKay and Morris both left suddenly on the eve of the start of a UK tour in September 1979.
The tour resumed a few weeks later with the Cure frontman Robert Smith and the Slits drummer Budgie (real name Peter Clarke) substituting for the departed members. Budgie subsequently became a full-time member of the band, while John McGeoch joined as McKay's permanent replacement early the following year. He became an official member in July. McGeoch performed on Kaleidoscope, Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse, before he was fired at the beginning of November 1982 due to problems with alcohol abuse which resulted in his hospitalisation. The vacated guitarist spot was again taken by Robert Smith. The Cure frontman became a full member of the Banshees, contributing to 1984's Hyæna, before leaving three weeks before its tour due to "nervous strain and exhaustion".
Smith was replaced by former Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers, who performed on The Thorn and Tinderbox before leaving in February 1987 due to disagreements with the rest of the band. The band became a quintet in July 1987 when a new line-up was unveiled with Jon Klein on guitars alongside multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick on keyboards, cello and accordion. This line-up remained stable for almost eight years, before Klein was replaced by former Psychedelic Furs guitarist Knox Chandler for the tour in support of 1995's The Rapture. After a final run of live shows, Siouxsie and the Banshees disbanded in April 1996. Siouxsie, Severin, Budgie and Chandler reformed the Banshees for a final tour in 2002, which spawned the live release The Seven Year Itch.
Members ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsSiouxsie Siouxall Siouxsie and the Banshees releasesSteven SeverinSid Vicious1976 drumsnoneMarco Pirroni1976 guitarPeter Fenton1976–1977Kenny Morris1977–1979 (died 2026)John McKay1977–1979 Budgieall Siouxsie and the Banshees releases from Kaleidoscope (1980) onwards, except The Peel Sessions EPsRobert SmithJohn McGeoch1980–1982 John Valentine Carruthers1984–1987Martin McCarrick1987–1996Jon Klein1987–1994guitarKnox Chandler
Timeline
Lineups PeriodMembersReleasesSeptember 1976Siouxsie Sioux – vocals Marco Pirroni – guitar Steven Severin – bass Sid Vicious – drumsnone February 1977 – May 1977Siouxsie Sioux – vocals Peter Fenton – guitar Steven Severin – bass Kenny Morris – drums, percussionnone July 1977 – September 1979Siouxsie Sioux – vocals, piano John McKay – guitar, saxophone Steven Severin – bass, backing vocals Kenny Morris – drums, percussion"Hong Kong Garden" (1978) The Scream (1978) "The Staircase (Mystery)" (1979) Join Hands (1979) "Mittageisen" (1979) The Peel Sessions (1987) The Peel Sessions: The Second Session (1989)September – October 1979Siouxsie Sioux – vocals Steven Severin – bass Robert Smith – guitar Budgie – drums none Early 1980 – October 1982Siouxsie Sioux – vocals, guitar, keyboards John McGeoch – guitar, keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals Steven Severin – bass, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals Budgie – drums, percussion, harmonica, bass, backing vocalsKaleidoscope (1980) "Israel" (1980) Juju (1981) "Fireworks" (1982) A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982)November 1982 – May 1984Siouxsie Sioux – vocals Robert Smith – guitar, keyboards Steven Severin – bass, keyboards Budgie – drums, percussion"Dear Prudence" (1983) Nocturne (1983) Hyæna (1984)June 1984 – February 1987Siouxsie Sioux – vocals John Valentine Carruthers – guitar, keyboards Steven Severin – bass, keyboards Budgie – drums, percussionThe Thorn (1984) Tinderbox (1986) Through the Looking Glass (1987)Mid-1987 – December 1994Siouxsie Sioux – vocals Jon Klein – guitar Steven Severin – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Budgie – drums, percussion, keyboards Martin McCarrick – keyboards, strings"Song from the Edge of the World" (1987) Peepshow (1988) Superstition (1991) "Face to Face" (1992) The Rapture (1995)January 1995 – April 1996Siouxsie Sioux – vocals Knox Chandler – guitar Steven Severin – bass, keyboards Budgie – drums, percussion Martin McCarrick – keyboards, strings"New Skin" (1995)Band inactive April 1996 – April 2002April – August 2002Siouxsie Sioux – vocals Knox Chandler – guitar Steven Severin – bass Budgie – drumsThe Seven Year Itch (2003)
References
External links Siouxsie and the Banshees official website