Siouxsie and The Banshees

A key player at the forefront of the punk explosion, the Banshees'' iconic front woman Siouxsie Sioux blazed a trail of snotty antagonism, wearing fetish gear and swastika badges while reciting the Lord''s Prayer and Deutschland Uber Alles on stage. Formed in impromptu fashion at the infamous 1976 100 Club Punk Festival organised by Malcolm Mclaren, Siouxsie was part of a gang known as the Bromley Contingent and was involved in the notorious Bill Grundy interview with the Sex Pistols. Alongside Siouxsie, the Banshees founding member Steven Severin and long-time drummer Budgie oversaw a constantly shifting line-up, including Sid Vicious, Robert Smith and John McGeoch, but the band have maintained a sound full of gothic, sprawling new wave. From their debut single Hong Kong Garden and legendary first album The Scream (1978), to the success of Kaleidoscope (1980) and hypnotic hit Dear Prudence, to the John Cale produced The Rapture (1995), the Banshees remain a startlingly and unique rock''n''roll force; influencing the Riot Grrrl movement, trip-hop bands like Massive Attack and Tricky and even pop starlet Kate Nash. The band split in 1996, but Siouxsie continued with side project The Creatures before releasing the acclaimed solo album MantaRay (2007).