Gang of Four loses two

It's always risky to put too much physical description in a band name. Sometimes visual characteristics can change. Like the number of members, for instance. And then what? Do you change the name?

"Gang of Two" doesn't roll off the tongue the way "Gang of Four" does, but that's the technicality of their situation now that the quartet's rhythm section has departed (for real this time). The original lineup reunited in 2005, and played all together as recently as the end of 2006. Guitarist Andy Gill and singer Jon King will continue to make music under the moniker, though bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham have left to pursue other business ventures and side projects.

Allen, who runs the successful Portland-based music blog Pampelmoose, continued to play and write with the band into 2007 as it prepared material for its next release. "My ability to give 100% to the band is limited and I feel that if I can’t do so, then I shouldn’t continue," he writes. Apparently some of his reservations regarding the band had to do with the means by which Go4 recordings were distributed. "To retain any credibility for Pampelmoose.com about what the future of music distribution will look like, I have to move on and not hold back Jon and Andy’s music plans," he explains.

Both Allen and Burnham have other musical projects in the works. Allen plays with John Askew (of Tracker) and Danny Seim (of Menomena) in a band called Faux Hoax (that you pronounce "folks," according to Allen.) Burnham, who will soon start his doctorate and teaches at multiple Massachusetts colleges, plays with Boston's The Bags and has been recording recently with Mike Watt. He cites time constraints and "debilitating" constant travel as his reasons for leaving.

Gill and King plus two new band members, ostensibly, have scheduled some dates at world festivals in the coming months. They are:

May
23 - Ljubljana, Slovenia @ Druga Godba Festival
24 - Skopje, Macedonia @ Off-Fest (Club Hard-Rock)

June
20 - London, UK @ Meltdown Festival (Southbank Centre)

August
2 - Pescara, Italy @ Indie Rocket Festival

Thanks to The Daily Swarm for the tip!

Related links:
GangOfFour.us
Gang of Four on MySpace
Pampelmoose.com

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