I don’t usually include real people on Cultarama because it’s about cult films, but every now and then I will make an exception if that person managed to achieve stardom through word of mouth, much like a cult film can do. Siouxsie and the Banshees were a punk/goth band that formed in the late ’70s. The lead singer Siouxsie Sioux (Susan Ballion) formed Siouxsie and the Banshees with Steven Severin and drummer Budgie. It was a rough start, but by the early ’80s, some actual hits began to come out. 

      Siouxsie and the Banshees began to get bigger and bigger and racked up more and more hits, with each album becoming more successful and popular than the previous one. They weren’t quite as mainstream as their counter band, The Cure. But instead kept their own style and were rather original.  

     Siouxsie, with her wild hair and severe makeup, became an 80’s signature look and before long the band was all the rage. From albums like “Kaleidoscope”,” “Ju Ju” and “Tinderbox” came some even bigger hits like “Happy House, “, “Spellbound” and “Cities in Dust”. 

      In the late ’80s, Siouxsie and the Banshees produced an album called “Peepshow” featuring the hit song “Peek-a-boo”, which quickly rose to the top of the charts and reached #1 in Europe. In the early ’90s, Siouxsie and the Banshees changed their image a little. Siouxsie’s makeup and hairstyle had been tamed quite a bit and for once we saw how beautiful she actually was. Their new album “Superstition” was much tamer than previous albums, but was still another great success, with its #1 hit “Kiss them for me” (a ballad to Jayne Mansfield). The band was bigger than ever and was asked to be one of the performing bands at the first Lollapalooza Festival along with bands like “Living Color”, The Jesus and Mary Chain” and “Jane’s Addiction”. 

      When the movie “Batman Returns” was being made, Siouxsie was approached to play the part of Catwoman. She declined, stating that she was a singer, not an actress. Instead, she composed the movie’s theme song “Face to Face” and the part went to Michelle Pfeifer. This was to be their last big hit and sadly, their follow-up album “The Rapture” failed to deliver any hits, and by now, the band was frankly getting kind of old and facing extinction. 

      Siouxsie and the Banshees called it quits after over 20 years on the Billboard charts. Siouxsie married the band’s drummer Budgie and started a new band called The Creatures. Not much success there, most likely due to the constant comparison to the Banshees. In 2003, the band reunited for a filmed concert called “The Seven Year Itch” in which despite the amazing performance that it was, it was quite apparent that Siouxsie was losing her voice. High notes in songs became flat and painfully low baritone. It would appear that this was the end of the story of Siouxsie Sioux and her Banshees. 

      Then a surprise. Siouxsie (alone, no Banshees or Creatures) had a new album coming out in November of 2007 called “Mantaray”. I’m not sure if she regained her voice or if it was just some studio magic, but she sounded great. A hit song and a vibrant new video to accompany it was released for a song called “Into a Swan”, with Siouxsie looking her gothic best. Sure, she’s a little older, but as they say… “Like fine wine”. Siouxsie tours on her own now and though she’s in her 60s, she seems to be doing great, and many of her fans are truly thrilled to see her again!  Welcome back Siouxsie!! We missed you!!