Dave Allen, the founding bassist of Gang Of Four and a pillar of the UK’s post-punk scene, has died at the age of 69.
The news came via a statement from drummer Hugo Burnham, who confirmed Allen had been living with early-onset dementia for several years. “We’ve been so very lucky to have had the Ace of Bass in our lives,” he wrote. “Goodbye, Old Friend.”
Allen’s playing wasn’t flashy. It was functional, confrontational, and cool as hell. Across Gang Of Four’s formative years, his sharp, dub-influenced basslines carved space for the band’s jagged riffs and razor-wire politics. It wasn’t rhythm section as afterthought — Allen helped define the whole sound.
Formed in Leeds in 1976, Gang Of Four tore apart the foundations of punk then rebuilt it. Their 1979 debut Entertainment! is a genre cornerstone — all clenched fists and bass groove — and remains one of the most influential records of its era.
Allen left the band after 1981’s Solid Gold and helped launch Shriekback, a weirder, more rhythm-driven outfit formed with XTC’s Barry Andrews. He later played in Elastic Purejoy and Low Pop Suicide, and eventually made the leap into label work and artist development, founding World Domination Recordings and later working at Apple Music.
He rejoined Gang Of Four for their 2004 reunion and stuck around for the re-recorded compilation Return The Gift before parting ways again in 2008.
Burnham noted that Allen had hoped to rejoin them onstage one final time on their current US farewell tour, but “it’s now a bridge too far.”
Allen’s death follows that of guitarist Andy Gill in 2020. That now leaves Burnham and vocalist Jon King as the remaining original members.
Allen’s legacy isn’t just in the records — it’s in every band that ever tried to mix dance floor and discourse without compromising either. His lines still cut through, even now.
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