Siouxsie and the Banshees

United Kingdom, 1976–1996

English band formed in 1976 at the 100 Club punk festival. Siouxsie Sioux's vocals over sharp, treble-heavy guitar became a model for gothic rock and, later, dream pop.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Siouxsie and the Banshees and 11 artists Siouxsie and the Banshees influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Siouxsie and the Banshees?

• Sex Pistols — Siouxsie came out of the Bromley Contingent of Pistols devotees — the Banshees debuted at the 100 Club punk festival the Pistols headlined.
• David Bowie — Siouxsie has named Bowie her teenage revelation — the glam theatricality beneath the Banshees' ice.

Which artists did Siouxsie and the Banshees influence?

• The Cult — In their early gothic post-punk phase The Cult drew on Siouxsie and the Banshees.
• Florence and the Machine — Siouxsie Sioux sits among Welch's declared icons — the theatrical, gothic pole of her presentation.
• Björk — Siouxsie's post-punk vocal drama was a model for Björk's own vocal and compositional experimentation.
• Cocteau Twins — Guthrie has said early Cocteau Twins wanted to be the Banshees — their first sessions openly chase that sound, and the band toured supporting them.
• The Cure — Robert Smith played guitar in the Banshees on tour in 1979 and 1982–84 — an apprenticeship whose ice-cold guitar aesthetics fed directly into the Cure.
• Slowdive — The band is literally named after a Siouxsie and the Banshees single — the origin document of their aesthetic allegiance.
• Lush — Berenyi has named Siouxsie her formative idol — the post-punk glamour behind Lush's shimmer.
• Curve — Halliday's dark command descends from Siouxsie — the comparison that followed Curve from their first EP, and one she owned.
• AFI — Siouxsie and the Banshees' gothic drama informs AFI's later, darker post-hardcore and horror-punk aesthetic.
• The Knife — Siouxsie and the Banshees' gothic art-pop is among the acts the Knife name behind their icy, dramatic sound.
• Garbage — Siouxsie and the Banshees' gothic post-punk shapes Shirley Manson's icy delivery and Garbage's dark glamour.