Siouxsie & the Banshees were a British rock band which formed in 1976. Led by Siouxsie Sioux (vocals) and Steven Severin (bass), the band's only constant members, the Banshees formed at the advent of the British punk rock scene and from 1977 with the arrival of guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris, soon became one of the major bands in the post-punk movement. After an enforced change of musical direction leading to a redefining of their image, together with new drummer Budgie and a procession of guitarists including Robert Smith and John McGeoch, the Banshees also became instrumental in the creation and development of gothic rock into the next decade. The group released several successful albums and singles throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including "Cities in Dust", "Peek-a-Boo", and "Kiss Them for Me", while its members also dabbled in side projects. The Banshees disbanded in 1996, with Sioux and Budgie continuing to record music as The Creatures, a side project they had started in the 1980s. The band reunited briefly for a tour in 2002.

Siouxsie & the Banshees influenced many musicians of all kinds and genres. The Cure leader Robert Smith declared in 2003 in Mark Paytress's Siouxsie biography : "Siouxsie and The Banshees and Wire were the two bands I really admired. They meant something." He also pinpointed what the Join Hands tour brought him musically. "On stage that first night with the Banshees, I was blown away by how powerful I felt playing that kind of music. It was so different to what we were doing with The Cure. Before that, I'd wanted us to be like The Buzzcocks or Elvis Costello, the punk Beatles. Being a Banshee really changed my attitude to what I was doing."

Discography

* The Scream (1978)
* Join Hands (1979)
* Kaleidoscope (1980)
* Juju (1981)
* A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982)
* Hyæna (1984)
* Tinderbox (1986)
* Through the Looking Glass (1987)
* Peepshow (1988)
* Superstition (1991)
* The Rapture (1995)

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