'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Dave Allen, former bassist for Gang of Four and Shriekback, passed away on Saturday, April 6, at the age of 69. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Hugo Burnham, fellow Gang of Four member, confirmed the news on the same day, noting that Allen had been fighting early-onset mixed dementia for several years.
Burnham shared the following message on the band’s official Instagram page:
“It is with broken yet full hearts that we share the news that Dave Allen, our old music partner, friend, and brilliant musician, died on Saturday morning. He was at home with his family…”
Trending
He continued:
“Dave had endured the early-onset of mixed dementia for some years which has been a heartbreaking time for his wife Paddy, his children, and close friends. Our love and thoughts are with them…”
Allen joined Gang of Four just a few gigs after the band was formed in 1976. He further played on the post-punk pioneers' critically acclaimed first two albums, Entertainment! (1979) and Solid Gold (1981). However, Dave Allen left the band in 1981, just after the band released the single To Hell With Poverty (1981). He was replaced by bassist Sara Lee.
Dave Allen left the band but eventually rejoined for some tour dates
Further paying tribute to his late friend, Hugo wrote on the same Instagram page:
“Jon and I [Hugo] went to see him and spent a lovely afternoon with him and the family. We talked and laughed for hours, sharing rich and vivid memories of good times together. Adventures, careers in music, raising families, our interwoven lives spanning half a century…”
He continued:
“We’ve been so very lucky to have had the Ace of Bass in our lives. We know that Dave would have wanted nothing more than to step onstage with us again in Portland on our farewell US tour. But it’s now a bridge too far… Goodbye, Old Friend…”
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter on April 7, bassist Dave Allen, drummer Hugo Burnham, guitarist Andy Gill, and singer Jon King founded Gang of Four in Leeds in 1976. Initially, the band included bassist Dave Wolfson, drummer Hugo Burnham, guitarist Andy Gill, and singer Jon King. Dave Allen then took Wolfson's position after two or three performances.
As reported by The Basement Nashville, Gang of Four established a musical style that reversed the blunt and explosive impulses of punk by favoring tense rhythms, percussion guitars, and lyrics that incorporated situationism and Marxist theory. From harmony and rhythm to presentation and performance, they challenged every aspect of the conventional "rock band" format.
The band's original lineup released two landmark albums—Entertainment! and Solid Gold. Allen was later replaced by bassist Sara Lee for their third album, Songs of the Free (1982).
Burnham left the band after Songs Of The Free, and Jon King and Andy Gill went on to release Hard in 1983. Eventually, the band disbanded shortly after. The original trio rejoined for tour dates in 2004 and released Return The Gift (2005).
As per the same source, many people re-examined the group's catalogue after Gill's tragic death in February 2020, and the significance of these early releases was frequently mentioned.
Rolling Stone reported that Allen left Gang of Four after the release of the Another Day/Another Dollar EP in 1981 to co-found Shriekback with drummer Martyn Bench and former XTC member Barry Andrews. He left Shriekback in 1986, after creating six albums in a seven-year run, to start King Swamp.
That same year, he founded the World Domination Recordings label. Allen later rejoined Gang of Four for one of their reunion tours, which included a Coachella performance in 2005.
As of now, the cause of death has not been disclosed. Dave Allen is survived by his wife, Paddy, and their children. The family has not yet issued a public statement.
