Gang of Four - What Happens Next

If you enjoy your neo-Marxist post-punk, you will have precious little cause for complaint this fortnight, with genre figureheads Gang Of Four and The Pop Group both back in the saddle. With both acts incorporating electro elements in order to update their sound for the 21st century, they frequently find themselves straying into NIN/Depeche Mode-style industrial territory. In the case of Gang Of Four, this proves more problematic.
   Andy Gill is now the band’s sole original member, leaving them in danger of looking like the punk-funk Dr. Hook (can we check if he is a fully-qualified GP?). Certainly, the distinctive thump of original rhythm section Hugo Burnham and Dave Allen is conspicuously lacking on What Happens Next, as is the idiosyncratic singing style of ex-vocalist Jon King.
   Taking King’s place for the majority of the album is touring vocalist John Sterry, although there are also guest appearances from The Kills’ Alison Mosshart and German actor and musician Herbert Gronemeyer. Though their turns are more than respectable, there is undoubtedly extra pressure on Sterry, and unfortunately his vocal approach lacks the sardonic inflections and scathing humour that distinguished King’s finest moments.
   Lyrically, too, What Happens Next is not in the same league as the best Gang Of Four output. Indeed, the line in ‘Obey The Ghost’, “Irony is a luxury” is a somewhat, er, ironic observation given that Gang Of Four were arch satirists in their original incarnation.
  Too often, the music falls into an industrial-by-numbers squall, with the likes of ‘Where The Nightingale Sings’, ‘First World Citizen’ and ‘Graven Image’ all being too faithful to the basic Trent Reznor template.
   Though the jerky post-punk grooves and banging cowbell of ‘England’s In My Bones’ is exciting, and the haunting ambience of ‘The Dying Rays’ is terrifically atmospheric, ultimately they aren’t enough to make What Happens Next an essential listen.

Key Track - 'England's In My Bones'