Tom Reardon loves Gang of Four and they tolerate him

Gang of Four makes me crazy for some reason.

A few weeks ago, I noticed they were going to play in Portland, Maine, as part of a small tour. Currently, I'm about two and a half hours north of Portland, so I figured, 'What luck?' (It was more like "Holy Fuck," but whatever).

My wife and I love Gang of Four. She might even love them a bit more than I do, and I really love them. I mean, c'mon. If you like post-punk or just good music in general, how can you not like Gang of Four?

The craziness, though, was already starting in the back of my head.

Sure, like any music fan, I could bite the bullet, buy tickets, and head down for a night in Portland with my favorite person and see one of our favorite bands. Our 20th wedding anniversary is coming up, and it could be part of our celebration. Easy, right?

Not for me.

I hop on my computer machine and reach out to Gang of Four about an interview. Again, I'm figuring, you know, and I decide to pour my heart into this message.

It went something like this:

Hey!

I'm Tom Reardon. I used to write for Phoenix New Times and even got lucky enough to interview Andy Gill in 2015. I have a new site… blah blah blah… can we do an interview for your show in Portland? I want to write about it. I want to make it special.

Tom

They wrote back: Yes, sounds good, is email okay? Blah blah blah... It's on.

The messages were great and positive, and I'm thinking, no, figuring, that maybe Rhondi (that's my wife) and I might even get on the guest list. Money saved, Portland's super expensive to stay in, and I'm in business.

Now, the craziness is really kicking in because I've got one of the OG members of Gang of Four ready to chat via the internet. I have to ask amazing questions. I have to show these people who have some of my all-time favorite music that I am a REAL journalist and a REAL fan.

So, I start tinkering with my email, and what I sent them is a full example of my complete and utter inability to remain professional at times with musicians I respect immensely.

I fanboy'd.

I name-dropped.

I talked about how I talked Andy Gill into letting The Father Figures open for Gang of Four at the Crescent in 2015. I said how amazing he was, hoping for a heartfelt response, bonding, and musical kinship.

What follows are my questions, verbatim, in all their embarrassing glory, and Hugo Burnham's excellent, chess master-like precision. Hugo's the drummer, by the way. I think some of the questions you may have about who is in the band currently will be answered below. Enjoy, and please, don't think less of me.

I just fucking love Gang of Four.

Me: The "NO KINGS HERE!" song is fucking great. Gang of Four has always excelled at dissecting socio-political structures, but how did the current 2026 political/world/billionaires vs everyone climate help shape the track? Lyrically, I have to believe this was as close to a "no brainer" as anything has recently been for Jon.

Hugo: It is a direct reflection of the call for 'No Kings' in reaction to the current administration and the move away from a workable democracy. It's a simple, straightforward cry of rage, of hope, of solidarity.

Me: I'm excited to see the current live iteration of the band. I mean, holy heck, Ted Leo on guitar and Gail Greenwood on bass? I barely missed playing a show with Gail back in 1999 when she left L7 right before my old band, Hillbilly Devilspeak, opened for them in San Diego. Such pedigree to add to an already fantastic band. What has this specific lineup injected into the mix that fans might expect to see (and feel) during these upcoming shows?

Hugo: When we reunited in 2022, Sara Lee came back to the band on bass, alongside the wonderful David Pajo — who stepped right up as the first G4 guitar-player since Andy Gill. We told him that while playing Gill's parts he had to play them as himself — that we are not a tribute band. He was marvelous at making the songs as much his as his predecessor's. When Sara decided to re-retire after a year or so, having brought her brilliance and cred back to us, Gail Greenwood stepped up - a whole different vibe that made the rest of us step up even harder. Her onstage energy is infectious and riotous. For 2025's 'Long Goodbye' tour, we asked Ted Leo to join us when Pajo went back to his solo career. I first met Ted when he joined a star-studded crew for Lenny Kaye's 'Nuggets' show I put on in Gloucester, MA — he exploded onstage, so it was a no-brainer to ask him. We said the same thing to him as we did to Pajo — be yourself playing these songs. He does with bells on. He brings a different energy to the band — harder, still — while keeping the G4-vibe and tone intact. And loud. We have fun together, both on and off stage.

Me: Last year was billed as the "Long Goodbye" tour, yet here you are back on the road in the US Northeast and hitting festivals like Solid Sound. What is it about the current state of the world — or simply the itch of playing live — that makes it so difficult to actually walk away from Gang of Four?

Hugo: We did say LONG Goodbye…no specific time-limit. We never said we were retiring or not ever playing again, but we are done with long headline touring. It was a brilliant but exhausting four months across the US, Canada, and Europe, playing two sets every night — the whole of 'Entertainment' to celebrate its 45th anniversary, and then a second set of the 'best of the rest'. We will be quite choosy about what and when we play live — focusing on special events and adventures. Solid Sound absolutely counts as a special event — we've been hoping to join in for a long time, as Jeff had asked us some years ago. The four other shows around it that week are deliberately places we didn't play last year; it's a simple week of shows around the North East. Adventures? Well, that would be going to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, S. America, for instance — or playing other festivals anywhere that want us! They all should. We're very, very good.

Me: Back to "No Kings Here" for a second… The song certainly proves the creative taps are still very much open, is this current run of dates a celebratory victory lap for this lineup, or could there be a larger, collaborative studio project on the horizon?

Hugo: We recorded 'No Kings Here!' in January, along with 5 other songs, working with Producer Nick Launay (whose CV is extraordinary), who we'd recorded 'To Hell With Poverty' with back in 1981. We've all wished we could have done more with him back then, and have stayed in touch — "Let's do something again!" being the refrain for 40-odd years. He came to see us in LA and Paris on the 'Long Goodbye' tour last year and we all agreed to stop talking and just do it. One week at Bang A Song Studio here in Gloucester, MA, a fantastic place, and we got six songs. We plan to do more.

Me: As a bass player, the idea of playing with Hugo is a dream come true (and I'm available if Gail ever decides to step away… ha ha… but also, hell yes. I'd happily tell my Freeze bandmates that I'm off for a bit). But seriously, Hugo — your drumming on 'Entertainment!' is some of the most propulsive, locked-in, post-punk drumming ever committed to tape. What was it like recording that album, and how has your relationship with those songs evolved over the decades?

Hugo: Oh, stop it! (No, please continue.) I can still remember the excitement of making that record. We were young, had been playing together for a couple of years by then, and had a very clear idea of what we wanted to do — and what we definitely did NOT want to do. Roger Bechirian produced us, which was quite the adventure. We recorded it at Pathway Studios in Islington, London — an 8-track studio in a converted railway arch. It was tiny, cheap, and perfect. The songs felt urgent and real, and I think that came through. My relationship with those songs is one of deep affection. I know them so well, and yet they still surprise me. We played the whole record every night last year on the Long Goodbye tour and it never got old.

Me: What does Gang of Four mean in 2026? Like, what is the mission statement of the band at this point?

Hugo: The mission statement has never changed: to make people think AND dance. The political urgency has, if anything, intensified. The world needs Gang of Four right now. Or at least, that's what I tell myself at 3am.