4 Mar 2015

Marty Duda's artist of the week: The Pop Group

From Nine To Noon, 11:06 am on 4 March 2015

One of the first and most influential post-punk bands, The Pop Group came from Bristol mixing elements of reggae, dub, Krautrock, punk, funk and whatever else the four band members were listening to at the time. Their original run was short and abrasive releasing two albums and a handful of singles in 1979 and 1980. By 1981 they had disbanded, but not before leaving an indelible impression that lasts to this day. Nick Cave was just one of The Pop Group's biggest fans and chances are other post-punk bands such as Gang Of Four, Wire and The Slits owe a huge debt as well. The band has recently reunited, completely intact and have just released a new album, 'Citizen Zombie'. It sounds as fresh, aggressive and dangerous as their records from 35 years ago. They play their first and only NZ concert Wednesday night at The Kings Arms.