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Biography
Review|date=September 2009Infobox musical artist | name = Sex Gang Children| image =| caption =| image_size = | background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = Brixton | instrument =| genre = Gothic rock Post-punk Punk rock | occupation =| years_active = 1981–1984, 1992–present| label = Cleopatra Records|Cleopatra , Cherry Red , Illuminated , ROIR | associated_acts = Andi Sexgang Marc Almond Cinema Strange The Cult|Death Cult | website =| current_members = Andi Sexgang / Kevin Matthews /Adrian Portas / Matthew Saw| past_members = Terry MacLeay Rob Stroud Dave Roberts Steve Harle Nigel Preston Ray Mondo Bob Thompson Cam Campbell Gerrard Santana| notable_instruments = Xylophone/violinThe Sex Gang Children are a post-punk or positive punk (the precursory term for gothic rock ) group that formed in the early 1980s in England . Although the original group only released one official studio album, they remain one of the more well-known bands out of the early Batcave (London nightclub)|Batcave scene and have reformed for new albums and touring various times since the early 1990s.
History
The original line-up was Andi Sexgang (vocals, guitar), Dave Roberts (musician)|Dave Roberts (bass), Terry McLeay (guitar), and Rob Stroud (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Sex Gang Children", in The Great Indie Discography , Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0 They were a very dramatic band, relying on heavy bass, tribal drumming, sudden mood shifts, a woozy cabaret ready sound that influenced the rise of the later dark cabaret scene, and yet another in a long line of goth singers with an odd, highly dramatic voice. Although the group only released one official album, their singles and various other tracks have been packaged into numerous collections, and they remain one of the more well-known bands out of the early Batcave (London nightclub)|Batcave scene. The band's first release was a cassette-only live album, Naked , in 1982, followed by their first vinyl release, the Beasts Extended play|EP the same year, now signed to the Illuminated label. The band's only studio album from their original period together, Song and Legend , was released in 1983, reaching the top of the UK Indie Chart and spawning the single "Sebastiane". Stroud departed to form Aemotu Crii, to be replaced by former Theatre of Hate drummer Nigel Preston, who played on the band's next single, "Mauritia Mayer", before himself being replaced by former The Cult|Death Cult drummer Ray Mondo. Roberts left in late 1983 to form Carcrash International , and the line-up settled to Andi, Mcleay, Cam Campbell (bass) and Kevin Matthews (drums), a change forced by Ray Mondo's deportation to his native Sierra Leone .
The band split up in 1984, with Andi Sexgang embarking on a solo career, but renewed interest in the band in the United States led to a reformation in 1991, and a new album, Medea , in 1993. As a solo artist Andi went on to make a number of well received albums for George Kimpton and his Dressed to Kill label.
Name
The Sex Gang Children were originally called Panic Button. The name "Sex Gang Children" was taken by Malcolm McLaren from a William Burroughs novel as a possible name for the band that became Bow Wow Wow and was one of the names that Boy George went through before choosing " Culture Club ". SGC vocalist Andi Sex Gang tried to persuade George to use the name, but when Culture Club drummer Jon Moss passed on the idea, Andi decided that the name should not go to waste.
Quotation|One of the groups coming up at the same time as Southern Death Cult was Sex Gang Children, and Andi - he used to dress like a Banshees fan, and I used to call him the Gothic Goblin because he was a little guy, and he's dark. He used to like Edith Piaf and this macabre music, and he lived in a building in Brixton called Visigoth Towers. So he was the little Gothic Goblin and his followers were Goths. That's where goth came from. | Ian Astbury of The Cult| (Alternative Press Nov. 1994).
Discography
Chart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart .Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980-1989 , Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4
