Gang of Four, the pioneering band that served as one of the forerunners of the post-punk movement, mixing outspoken political messages with intense, percussive live sets, will kick off its farewell tour in The Westport Library’s Trefz Forum.
Tickets for the concert, an extension of VersoFest 2025, are $55 and on sale now.
Tim “Journeys by DJ” Fielding, the founder of Brainiak Records and producer for legendary works by DJs including John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, Farley & Heller, Coldcut, and Gilles Peterson, will spin tracks before the show starting when doors open at 6:30 pm. Gang of Four will take the stage at 8 pm.
No bags will be permitted, aside from purses, clutches, and small handheld bags. All seats are standing room only; accommodations available upon request.
“The Long Goodbye” tour will feature two sets: The band will play all of its seminal first album, Entertainment!, track by track, followed by a second set of “Best of the Rest,” favorites to ranging from “To Hell With Poverty!” to “I Love a Man in a Uniform.”
In addition to the concert, singer Jon King will be on hand in the Trefz Forum during the day for an author talk and conversation with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chris Frantz (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club) about his new book, To Hell with Poverty!: A Class Act: Inside the Gang of Four, which is publishing April 1. Click here to purchase tickets for that event.
Gang of Four formed in Leeds, England, in 1976, led at the time by King, bassist Dave Allen, drummer Hugo Burnham, and guitarist Andy Gill. The band pioneered a style of music that inverted punk’s blunt and explosive energies — favoring tense rhythms, percussive guitars, and lyrics that traded in Marxist theory and situationism.
The original lineup released two landmark albums, Entertainment! (1979) and Solid Gold (1981). A third, Songs of the Free (1982), was recorded with bassist Sara Lee replacing Allen. After Songs of the Free, Burnham departed and Gill and King continued on, releasing Hard in 1983.
The band broke up following Hard, with the original quartet reforming in 2004 for tour dates and the release of their fifth album — and first in two decades — Return the Gift, in 2005.
Gill’s untimely death in 2020 led many to re-examine the group’s catalog, putting Gang of Four back in the spotlight to widespread acclaim. Entertainment! was ranked as the fifth best punk album of all time by Rolling Stone in 2016, Pitchfork placed it as the eighth best album of the 1970s in their 2004 assessment, and Pop Matters deemed it the “best post-punk album ever!” in 2020.
In 2021, the band teamed up with indie label giants Matador to release a deluxe, Grammy-nominated boxset Gang of Four 77-81, a comprehensive and detailed history of the band’s music, politics, and influence over the period.
Gang of Four "The Long Goodbye” 2025 Tour Lineup
Hugo Burnham - drums
Gail Greenwood - bass
Jon King - vocals
Ted Leo - guitar
Find tour dates and remaining tickets at: bnds.us/3ji4gc
About Tim “Journeys by DJ” Fielding
A graduate of the Balearic school of DJing, Tim “Journeys by DJ” Fielding is one of the key figures behind two of London’s most storied clubs: The Brain and The End. The founder of Brainiak Records (which released the world’s first album of live electronica bands, Live at the Brain) and of seminal imprint Journeys by DJ (the first legit series of DJ-mix CDs), Fielding produced legendary works by DJs including John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, Farley & Heller, Coldcut, and Gilles Peterson, reflecting his own eclectic taste and broad range in music.
In 2000, Fielding left London for New York City, where he spins regularly at clubs and events produced by subcultural communities like Disorient, Kostume Kult, and Mirage Garage. Transitioning from Nu Disco into soulful Tech House, Fielding’s style goes down equally well with 1990s Progressive House cats, fans of 70s Funk, and Burners into their bumpin’ beats. He plays rootsy music for people that like to dance.
“I tend to play the smaller rooms,” said Fielding, “but they are usually packed with smiling faces, and people who are seriously getting down.”
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With your registration/ticket purchase, the bearer is entitled to one Complimentary Margarita, Paloma, or Aguafresca at Don Memo, Westport. Please show your registration upon arrival. Thank you.