The Godmother of Goth, Siouxsie Sioux, turned 63 today.
Susan Janet Ballion, that’s her real name, she is best known as the lead singer of Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976-1996). They released 11 studio albums and had several UK Top 20 singles including “Hong Kong Garden”, “Happy House”, “Peek-a-Boo”, plus a US Billboard Top 25 hit “Kiss Them for Me”.
Together with The Banshees’ drummer, Budgie, they formed a second band the Creatures (1981-2005). In 2007 she went solo and released Mantaray.
AllMusic named Siouxsie as “one of the most influential British singers of the rock era”. In 2011, she was awarded for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the Q Awards and in 2012, at the Ivor Novello Awards, she received the Inspiration Awards.
Siouxsie has influenced other bands ranging from contemporaries Joy Division, U2, and the Cure, to later acts like the Jesus and Mary Chain, Jane’s Addiction, and TV on the Radio.
Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode said about Siouxsie: “She always sounds exciting. She sings with a lot of sexâthat’s what I like.” PJ Harvey stated: “It’s hard to beat Siouxsie Sioux, in terms of live performance. She is so exciting to watch, so full of energy and human raw quality.” Sinead O’Connor claimed that when she started, Siouxsie was one of her main influences.
