Gang of Four confirmed that Ted Leo and Belly and L7’s Gail Greenwood will join original drummer Hugo Burnham and singer Jon King on the English post-punk outfit’s upcoming farewell tour.
On Instagram, Gang of Four praised Greenwood as a “fantastic bass player” and “an awesome presence on stage” (Greenwood first played with Gang of Four last year). As for Leo, they said, “He’ll bring his own guitar magic to the shows, built on a deep love of the classic Gang of Four material. It’s going to be amazing.”
On Blue Sky, Leo celebrated the news that he would be playing with “some true heroes of mine,” adding, “I could not be more honored or excited.”
Gang of Four announced their North American farewell tour last fall, and at the time the lineup was set to feature King, Burnham, and Slint guitarist David Pajo, who’d been with Gang of Four since 2022. According to the band, Pajo is now “pursuing his own projects,” though it appears the split was amicable. The guitarist said his time playing with Gang of Four was “a dream come true.”
Gang of Four will kick off their “Long Goodbye” tour April 20 in Boston, with dates scheduled through May 29 in San Diego. The show will find the band performing two sets: During the first, they’ll play their celebrated 1979 debut, Entertainment!, in its entirety, while during the second they’ll deliver a career-spanning selection of “Best of the Rest” tunes.
When the farewell tour was originally announced, Gang of Four said of their decades-long run: “It’s been wonderful, but all things must end. We want to go out with a bang and celebrate with our fans and friends.”
Gang of Four came together in the mid-Seventies, with King, Burnham, guitarist Andy Gill, and bassist Dave Wolfson (who was soon replaced by Dave Allen). While the group cycled through many lineups over the years, Gill was its most consistent member up until his death in 2020. This current iteration of Gang of Four, anchored by King and Burnham, picked up in 2021; along with Pajo, the lineup has featured bassist Sara Lee and Linda Pardee.