Siouxsie and the Banshees were one of the first punk bands I was introduced to – by my dad. I like to tell people I was named after one of their songs, Christine, even though I am not. They're impossible to tire of, and Hong Kong Garden exemplifies what makes them truly great.
The Banshees' founding members – Siousxie Sioux and Steven Serevin – were among the original punk scensters, part of the Sex Pistols entourage that featured on the infamous Today show with Bill Grundy. Originating from Bromley – they were part of "the Bromley Contingent" of original punks – Siouxsie and Severin formed the Banshees in 1976, initially just to play at the 100 Club punk festival that September, where – with Sid Vicious on drums – they performed a 20-minute version of the Lord's Prayer. Soon, though, they became a real band, though they didn't release this – their first single – until August 1978, after waiting for the record deal that would give them the control they wanted.
Hong Kong Garden was innovative, a punk track beyond the three-chord sensibility. It starts with a playful, trebly pattern before a guitar joins to bring urgency and build tension, which is released in one resounding blow of a gong as the song concludes. It was named after a takeaway in Chislehurst, Kent that Siouxsie used to go to. "Me and my friend were really upset that we used to go there and like, occasionally when the skinheads would turn up it would turn really ugly," she explained. "These gits were just go in en masse and just terrorise these Chinese people who were working there." The song captures that terror.
