jwz

RIP Dave Allen. He was the bass player of two of my favorite bands of all time, Gang of Four and Shriekback. I met him once, about a decade ago. He endured my embarrassing fanboying with grace.

"According to Burnham, Allen passed away at home with his family after enduring the early-onset of mixed dementia for some years."

Guitarist Andy Gill died of COVID in 2020, so now they are Gang of Two.

There is not a lot of decent video of Allen's era, but watch these...
https://jwz.org/b/ykl2

Apr 7, 2025 at 1:10amjwz.org
Show threadkrejgoApr 7, 2025
@jwz cc: @historyofpunkrock
Show threadderekcrovoApr 7, 2025
@jwz Damn, sad to hear this. I love #shriekback. Have to dig into the Gang of Four stuff.
Show threadslyborgApr 7, 2025
@jwz Allen's bass line on "Lined Up" one of my favorite examples of a song instantly recognizable from the first bar just from the bass.
RIP.
Show threadklausfiend has movedApr 7, 2025
@jwz Aw man, that sucks. I saw the reunited GO4 twice in 2006 (? the year they played Coachella) and they were ferocious live. The first two albums have lost nothing to time of their punch and relevance. RIP. Noise rock in America doesn't exist without Gang of Four.
Show threadConspiracy of CartographersApr 7, 2025
@jwz Fuck. Playing this tonight…
Show threadAaron Brick — אהרן בריקApr 7, 2025
@jwz LPS forever!!
Show threadClark Breyman (he/him)Apr 7, 2025
@jwz sad news indeed.
Show threadBuzo del RockApr 7, 2025
@jwz 😢
Show threadpcbeardApr 7, 2025
@jwz amazing
Show threadIrish MASMSApr 7, 2025
Dam 😢
Show threadDelta LeadApr 7, 2025
@jwz "I need a cheeseburger to go!"
I was living in Adelaide, Australia about the time of Oil and Gold (Fish Below the Ice so much better than Nemesis) and heard that they were playing two dates, one in Sydney, one in Melbourne. So four of us caught the overnight train for the weekend to see them. Talked to Allen after the show fanboying to the max and he was very gracious about it.
Show threadradarskiyApr 7, 2025
@jwz I worked sound when Low Pop Suicide played my college and got a World Domination EP, which is basically "4 things that Dave Allen co-wrote".