Siouxsie and the Banshees II - The John McGeoch Years

Siouxsie and the Banshees II - The John McGeoch Years

Author: ITMW Music August 2, 2026 Duration: 33:39

In late 1979 following their second album, two members of Siouxsie and the Banshees departed the band leaving them without a drummer and guitarist. By early 1980, the band had added drummer Budgie and guitarist John McGeoch, which accompanied a change in musical direction for the group.

The shift began with the addition of synthesizers and drum machines on the 1980 album, Kaleidoscope. Changes continued with the fourth studio album, the seminal JuJu which featured innovative and unconventional guitar work from McGeoch. On their fifth studio album, A Kiss in the Dreamhouse, Siouxsie and the Banshees shifted toward a more sensual and psychedelia style while incorporating string arrangements.

After the third album with McGeoch, they would part ways but not before McGeoch's work with the Banshees would influence many future alternative music guitarists.

This episode tells the story of Siouxsie and the Banshees through the three albums with the legendary John McGeoch, and continues the story of our earlier podcast for the band's early years through their first two albums.





Journey back to the heart of the 1980s alternative music explosion with Inside the Milky Way-A Look at Early Alternative Music. This podcast digs deep into the fertile ground that gave rise to post-punk, dark wave, synth-pop, industrial, and the foundational indie scenes. Each episode is a curated exploration, weaving together the stories of iconic and overlooked artists, the influential contributors behind the scenes, and the seminal tracks that defined a generation. We discuss the cultural themes and pivotal events that shaped this transformative era, from underground clubs to breakthrough moments on the charts. The show’s title, inspired by The Church’s 1988 classic "Under the Milky Way," reflects our focus on the dreamy, introspective, and often gritty soundscapes that characterized the time. Listen for a rich blend of music history, critical discussion, and personal reflection on the bands and movements that refused to follow the mainstream. Inside the Milky Way is more than a retrospective; it’s an immersive audio experience for dedicated fans and curious newcomers alike, offering context and connection to the music that built a lasting alternative culture. Tune in to hear the stories behind the sounds.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music
Podcast Episodes
Björk - The Sugarcubes Years [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:06
The Sugarcubes were an Icelandic alternative band that formed in 1986, and by the time the band ended in 1992 they had become Iceland's biggest music group. During this short career, The Sugarcubes were a complex post-pu…
Cabaret Voltaire - The Original Sound of Sheffield [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:24
The story of Cabaret Voltaire began when they formed in Sheffield, England in 1973 by Chris Watson, Richard H Kirk, and Stephen Mallinder. The band would go on to one of the most innovative, influential, and pioneering i…
Primal Scream - The Loaded Screamadelica [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:49
Screamadelica, the 1991 third studio album from Primal Scream, was a defining album as it successfully fused indie rock with electronic, techno, and house dance music. The album was instrumental in bringing this musical…
Origins of Alternative Music: The Velvet Underground [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:50
The Velvet Underground formed in New York City in 1964 and has been considered by many as one of the most influential American rock bands. The band's music contained experimentation with instrumentation and sounds while…
45 Grave - Halloween from the Grave [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:53
When 45 Grave formed in Los Angeles in 1979, their music would combine punk rock with a dark and horror themed aesthetic becoming one of the first American gothic rock bands as they helped create the genre, deathrock. Af…
Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi and a Dark Field [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:51
When Bauhaus created the song “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and released it as their debut single in early 1979, they did not realize the impact the song and the band's aesthetic would have on culture and music. The song would be…
Chrome - Sonics of Another World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:32
Chrome was one of the more unusual alternative bands that arrived on the 70's San Francisco music scene. Chrome’s music would often take on sci-fi themes while employing tape loops, distortion and overloaded acid rock gu…
Blancmange - The Sweet Synth of Luscombe and Arthur [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:57
Blancmange formed in London in 1979 behind vocalist Neil Arthur and instrumentalist Stephen Luscombe. On their way to becoming a classic synth-pop duo, they would take a more exotic approach to the music than others in t…
The Raincoats - Storming the Social Conscience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:08
In 1977 two art school students in London, Ana da Silva and Gina Birch, would start the post-punk band, The Raincoats. Not only did they develop an unusual sound and approach to music incorporating experimental and other…