Gang of Four & post-punk praxis
The new post-punk bands were often confrontational, but engaged more with literature and art, and more politically aware. Punk had developed in London, but inspired many groups to form in other cities: The Fall and Joy Division in Manchester referenced Camus and Ballard, the latter initially flirting with Nazi imagery; The Pop Group in Bristol highlighted the influence of Rimbaud and Nietzsche, moving from poetic lyricism to searing critiques of capitalism; and Gang of Four, from Leeds, named themselves after the leaders of China’s vehemently anti-bourgeois Cultural Revolution of 1965-68.
By Juliet Jacques.