Without a doubt one of the most influential British post-punk bands, Gang of Four formed in 1977 after meeting at Leeds University.

The band mixed punk with elements of funk and dub reggae, and the founding members Gill and King ensured the band acted as commentators on the social and political problems faced in the late seventies/early eighties.

Their first release, Damaged Goods was a number one indie chart hit and received plenty of radio play from John Peel. See below for a video of them performing it live.

The success of the track and their blistering live performances led them to sign with EMI records, releasing “At Home He’s a Tourist” in 1979.

The band were twice banned from the BBC. Once for refusing to replace the word “rubbers” with “packets” for a performance of “At Home He’s A Tourist” on Top of the Pops, once during the Falklands War for the track “I Love a Man in Uniform”.

Gang of Four eventually split in 1984 but have reformed a few times since, after getting together and having fun recording. Here’s a performance of Anthrax from SxSW in 2006.

Head down to your local record shop and pick up “Entertainment”, or click here to listen to Damaged Goods, Natural’s Not in It, Not Great Men and Ether.

Oh, Dave Allen, the bass player in Gang of Four writes his own music blog (and it’s really rather good) - http://www.pampelmoose.com/mspeaks/