Dave Allen, the founding member and bass player for Gang of Four and Shriekback, has died at age 69. Allen had been suffering from early-onset dementia.
Allen formed Gang of Four in Leeds in 1976 with Jon King, Andy Gill and Hugo Burnham. Gill passed away in 2020.
Gang of Four first came to prominence in 1979 with ‘At Home He’s A Tourist’.
In 1981 Allen left Gang of Four to form Shriekback. ‘Lined Up’ was a number three hit UK indie in 1983 and reached number 42 in Australia.
Allen left Shriekback after the 1986 album ‘Big Night Music’ and returned to Gang of Four. He created World Domination Recordings that same year. Shriekband disbanded in 1989.
In a statement Gang of Four posted:
It is with broken yet full hearts that we share the news that Dave Allen, our old music partner, friend, and brilliant musician, died on Saturday morning. He was at home with his family. Dave had endured the early-onset of mixed dementia for some years which has been a heartbreaking time for his wife Paddy, his children, and close friends. Our love and thoughts are with them. Jon and I [Hugo] went to see him and spent a lovely afternoon with him and the family. We talked and laughed for hours, sharing rich and vivid memories of good times together. Adventures, careers in music, raising families, our interwoven lives spanning half a century. We’ve been so very lucky to have had the Ace of Bass in our lives.
We know that Dave would have wanted nothing more than to step onstage with us again in Portland on our farewell US tour. But it’s now a bridge too far.
Goodbye, Old Friend.
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