Dave Allen, the bass guitarist for the early years of the influential British post-punk band Gang of Four and a founder of the group Shriekback, has died. He was 69.
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Hugo Burnham, Allen’s former bandmate from Gang of Four, announced the news of his passing on Sunday.
“It is with broken yet full hearts that we share the news that Dave Allen, our old music partner, friend, and brilliant musician, died on Saturday morning,” Burnham wrote on Gang of Four’s Instagram alongside several photos featuring Allen. “He was at home with his family.”
Burnham also revealed Allen, who was 69, had been suffering from health struggles for some time.
“Dave had endured the early onset of mixed dementia for some years which has been a heartbreaking time for his wife Paddy, his children, and close friends. Our love and thoughts are with them,” Burnham added.
“Jon and I [Burnham] went to see him and spent a lovely afternoon with him and the family,’ he continued. “We talked and laughed for hours, sharing rich and vivid memories of good times together. Adventures, careers in music, raising families, our interwoven lives spanning half a century. We’ve been so very lucky to have had the Ace of Bass in our lives. We know that Dave would have wanted nothing more than to step onstage with us again in Portland on our farewell US tour. But it’s now a bridge too far. Goodbye, Old Friend.”
Dave Allen’s Work with Gang of Four was Hailed by Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain
Allen joined Gang of Four in 1976 alongside Burnham, Jon King, and Andy Gill in Leeds. As the band’s bassist, he left a lasting impression with his contributions to their groundbreaking debut album, Entertainment! (1979), and its acclaimed follow-up, Solid Gold (1981).
Although Gang of Four’s early work didn’t achieve chart success in the U.S., it left a lasting impact, inspiring artists like Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain. Cobain notably included Entertainment! on his list of top 50 albums, as revealed in his posthumous Journals per Billboard.
In 1981, Allen co-founded Shriekback and recorded several albums with the group. He later reunited with Gang of Four in the mid-2000s and also performed with bands like The Elastic Purejoy and Low Pop Suicide.
Allen built a long career in the music industry, working in artist advocacy, business development, and digital strategy. He co-founded DinWorkshop, a creative consultancy for musicians, and worked with companies like Apple Music, Beats Music, Intel, and eMusic. He was also a regular speaker on music and technology at events such as SXSW and SF Music Tech.