Gang of Four Review: A Valiant Reunion for Post-Punk's Farewell

O2 Forum Kentish Town, London

"It's hard to imagine, I know..."

The London-hailing post-punk act reminisce and recite their seminal 1979 LP, Entertainment!, for one final time to the inter-generational masses in London.

"There’s so many attractive people here," remarks Jon King, scanning the crowd with a grin somewhere between cynical and delighted. He’s not wrong. London's O2 Forum Kentish Town is consumed tonight by a blend of punk die-hards, politically engaged teens in vintage tees, and fans who clearly remember the first time Entertainment! hit the airwaves in 1979. This is no ordinary reunion show. It’s the final London stop of Gang of Four’s farewell tour—a full run-through of that seminal debut plus a curated “Best of the Rest” for good measure.

'Ether' opens with a tense, uneasy energy. The late guitarist Andy Gill's jittery guitar stabs, as well as the late Dave Allen's simmering basslines (both impressively incarnated by Gail Greenwood and Ted Leo tonight) intertwine with Hugo Burnham's steady rhythms on drums, as if cautious not to disturb the record’s sacredness. King snarls through the opening verses, arms flailing with purpose, but the crowd remains curiously subdued, unsure whether to dance or observe this moment in history from afar. 'Natural’s Not in It' follows with a touch more swing. Its lockstep groove is unmistakable, propelled by the band’s skeletal funk and King’s sarcastic bark: "The problem of leisure / What to do for pleasure." The music feels like a spasm of frustration still echoing from its original era, somehow no less relevant in 2025.

By the time 'Not Great Men' kicks in, the set begins to ignite. Its punchy groove and venomous chorus (“It’s not made by great men!”) send a charge through the room. King paces the stage like a man possessed, collapsing to his knees mid-verse with a sprightly theatrics, decades into their tenure. The band’s breakout single, one of dance-punk’s defining cuts, 'Damaged Goods', is slightly looser than its taut studio counterpart, its once razor-sharp rhythms dulled just slightly. Yet the unmistakable bass-and-guitar call-and-response enlivens the crowd: dancing, nodding, shouting back each line.

'Return the Gift' lifts the momentum even further. Whether it’s the relief of having cleared the hurdle of 'Damaged Goods' or the rising crowd energy, the performance compounds the band's urgent sound. King’s urgent plea ("Please send me evenings and weekends”) has the floor swaying with rhythmic unity, a rare moment of pure movement. The rest of the album unfolds with growing confidence. 'Guns Before Butter' and 'I Found That Essence Rare' stretch their limbs a bit, laced with barbed riffs and pointed lyrical delivery. 'Glass' and 'Contract' are slightly more jagged—fragments of post-industrial funk clashing with striking dissonance.

'At Home He’s a Tourist' is the standout. The guitar line—ever-jittery, ever-magnetic—snaps like a rubber band, its tension palpable. The crowd roars back “Two steps forward, six steps back!” like a mantra for the disillusioned. It's the first truly transcendent moment of the night, a visceral link between the personal and the political. '5.45' follows with a haunting crescendo. King premises with the tumultuous socio-political climate of the time ("It’s hard to imagine, I know..."), hinting at the cycles of violence still playing out in today’s headlines. The commentary, “Guerrilla warfare is the new entertainment”, deems more pertinent now than it likely did 45 years ago.

'He’d Send in the Army' and 'Capital (It Fails Us Now)' initiate "The Best of the Rest" from the group, their respective grooves plodding with a sinister undercurrent. 'Outside the Trains Don’t Run on Time' returns to angular form—its title alone getting cheers. 'We Live as We Dream, Alone' and 'Paralysed' signal a sonic shift, moving into the more abstract, experimental territory the band explored in the early '80s. The energy dips slightly, but these tracks offer a chance to reflect on how Gang of Four evolved and refused to sit still.

'What We All Want' receives a surprise lift as Yard Act’s James Smith appears, joined by a horn trio. It’s a bold detour. Suddenly the band sounds like a post-punk big band, the grit polished into swagger. 'I Love a Man in a Uniform' is as sharp and camp as ever, while 'I Parade Myself', featuring guitarist Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, feels unexpectedly majestic. Her guitar solo cuts through the grime, adding flair without overshadowing the band’s bare-bones backbone.

As the final reprisal of 'Damaged Goods' fades and the stage empties, Jon King and Hugo Burnham remain. Two surviving members standing beneath banners of resistance, saluting a crowd that spans decades. It’s an emotional farewell, not just to Entertainment!, 45 years on from its release, but to a band that changed the shape of post and dance-punk. This wasn’t a museum piece, but a living, breathing affirmation of what Gang of Four always stood for: tension, critique, rhythm, and resistance. As goodbyes go, its raw and imperfect facets secede to a valiant finale paying homage to an indelible moment and its fallen heroes, Dave Allen and Andy Gill.

7/10

Gang of Four's debut LP from 1979, Entertainment!, can be found below.

Photo is courtesy of Mark Stimpson whose work can be found here.