Gang Of Four cancel Toronto gig after tour bus catches fire

Gang Of Four cancelled their gig in Toronto, Canada last night (March 4) after their tour bus caught fire.

• READ MORE: Andy Gill – the NME obituary, 1956-2020: The guitar hero who made radical politics danceable

The band are currently in the middle of a North American tour, which has seen former Slint bassist David Pajo joining the band on guitar.

Last night, they were set to perform at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern, but took to social media to reveal the news that their bus had caught fire and shared photos of firefighters tending to the blaze. It’s currently unclear whether anyone was injured in the incident.

TORONTO SHOW UPDATE: Due to an unforeseen incident, where our bus caught fire, the show is regretfully now cancelled and will no longer be taking place tonight at Horseshoe Tavern. Ticket holders will be contacted with more info and we apologize for the inconvenience. pic.twitter.com/N3vIFVLpJZ

— Gang Of Four (@gangof4official) March 4, 2022

The jaunt is seeing the group perform live for the first time since the death of Andy Gill in February 2020. The band are currently set to resume the tour tomorrow night (March 6) at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Gang Of Four’s new touring line-up includes founding members Jon King and Hugo Burnham, though bassist Dave Allen will not appear at the shows due to personal reasons. However, a press release states that the musician “remains an essential and vital part of the band”. Former Gang Of Four bassist Sara Lee has returned to the group in his place.

Pajo, who has also performed with Interpol and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, confirmed with “tremendous excitement, humility [and] gratitude” that he would be playing with his “lifelong heroes” Gang Of Four at the gigs.

Gang Of Four’s US tour is drawing on material from their ’77-81’ box set of early material, which came out in December 2020. The collection boasts a double LP of the “never officially released” ‘Live at American Indian Center 1980’ as well as remastered versions of ‘Entertainment!’ (1979) and ‘Solid Gold’ (1981).

A star-studded tribute album to Andy Gill – featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates Flea and John Frusciante, Warpaint, Gary Numan and more – arrived last summer, entitled ‘The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration Of Andy Gill And Gang Of Four’.

The post Gang Of Four cancel Toronto gig after tour bus catches fire appeared first on NME.