Siiiii (pronounced 'sigh'), is a British

goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band formed in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, England, in 1983, taking their name from the

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

novel ''

The Soft Machine ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''.

Early years

Siiiii was formed in the 1983 when singer Paul Devine answered an ad in ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' to join Mark (guitar) and Angie Holmes (bass) of Sheffield bands Fatales and Surface Mutants as well as Wayne Furniss, drummer and guitarist for

Pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material * ...

. Siiiii quickly became known in the UK goth scene, gigging with influential bands such as

Skeletal Family Skeletal Family are an English rock band formed in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in December 1982.Kelly, Danny (1985) "Waiter, There's a Bone in my Curry!", ''NME'', 2 February 1985, p. 8 The band was formed from the remaining members of an earlie ...

The March Violets The March Violets are an English post-punk/gothic rock band formed in 1981 in Leeds, incorporating singers of both sexes, drum machine rhythms and echo-laden electric guitar, much in the style of fellow Leeds band the Sisters of Mercy. Seven ...

, Inca Babies, and

The Chameleons The Chameleons are an English rock band, formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester in 1981. The band's classic line-up consisted of lead vocalist and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarists Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever. The ...

. During this time, Siiiii attracted the attention of

Mick Mercer Mick Mercer (born Bichael Bercer, 2 June 1957) is a journalist and author best known for his books, photos and reviews of the goth, punk and indie music scenes. Life and work Mercer is primarily a writer focused on the gothic scene and its mus ...

, who was then editor of

ZigZag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

. Mercer wrote favorably of the band and documented them in photographs, which would later appear in his book "Gothic Rock Black Book". Siiiii recorded several tracks and gained favorable reviews for their performances, however, they were unable to attract a label and disbanded in 1986. Mark Holmes went on to perform and record with

The Anti-Group The Anti-Group Communications (often referred to as The Anti-Group or T.A.G.C.) is an open-membership collaborative art and information project formed in 1978 by Adi Newton and Steven Turner. The T.A.G.C. acronym refers to the four different t ...

2005–present

In 2005, the band regrouped to compile ''Ancient'', an archival release of demos recorded during the band's initial period of activity. This compilation was released originally on their own King Sol Records label. Following the release of Ancient, Siiiii played the last ever

Drop Dead Festival The Drop Dead Festival is the largest DIY festival for "art-damaged" music. It has as many as 65 bands per event, and has been known to attract attendees from over 30 countries. Drop Dead is an electro, post-punk, electropunk, and experimental mul ...

in New York, then followed up with a number of European shows. A live album, ''Ein Verdammtes Versprechen'', was recorded in Germany in 2008 and given a limited release on the band's King Sol Records. In 2014, Siiiii released ''Modern'', a studio album of new material, recorded in Manchester, Sheffield and Glastonbury.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official websiteMickmercer.comAnteriorresearch.comSiiiii biography on Discogs.com
English punk rock groups English gothic rock groups English post-punk music groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups from Sheffield