John McKay - Sixes and #Sevens

by Steve Kinrade

published: 8 / 6 / 2025

Label: Tiny Global Productions
Format: CD

intro

Post-punk architect John McKay unearthed on new compilation

After nearly five decades of silence, John McKay—the trailblazing guitarist who helped forge the sound of Siouxsie & the Banshees—emerges from obscurity with 'Sixes and Sevens', a lost archive of post-punk relics recorded in the wake of his dramatic 1979 departure from the band. Released via Tiny Global Productions, the album compiles eleven meticulously mastered studio tracks, many unheard until now, and paints a vivid portrait of what post-Banshees McKay might have sounded like had he remained in the musical spotlight. Among the highlights is 'The Blessed West', one of the earliest recordings after McKay’s exit. He stated that the music was angry and claustrophobic, describing a track steeped in disillusionment with political power during the Thatcher era. The song’s unsettling energy reflects McKay’s signature style: jagged, metallic guitar textures fused with moody atmospherics. Another standout is 'Sacred Measure', an ambitious piece that opens with a trumpet fugue reminiscent of Bach before lurching into abrasive, dissonant guitar lines. It’s an unlikely juxtaposition that, remarkably, works—evidence of McKay’s willingness to experiment beyond traditional rock structures. Tracks like 'Taken for Granted,' 'Black Five' and 'Vigilante' feature vocals from the late Linda Clark, McKay’s first wife and former bandmate in Zor Gabor. Her voice, uncannily reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux, infuses these songs with a spectral familiarity that fans of early Banshees will find both eerie and exhilarating. It’s easy to imagine these tracks as alternate-universe Banshees material—bold, angular, and emotionally raw. 'Tightrope' reveals a prescient thread of continuity between McKay’s post-Banshees explorations and the band’s later orchestral leanings. With tense strings and a cinematic build, the track seems to anticipate the dramatic turn Siouxsie & the Banshees would later embrace—without McKay’s involvement. The album also features contributions from an impressive cast of collaborators, including drummer Kenny Morris (also formerly of the Banshees), Mick Allen (Rema Rema), Andy Diagram (later of James), and the late Matthew Seligman (The Soft Boys). These fellow post-punk fugitives bring added texture and weight to McKay’s compositions, transforming forgotten cassette demos into fully realised, genre-defying statements. I wasn’t a massive fan of Siouxie Sioux at the time, and especially not the pre John McGeoch era, but Sixes and Sevens is an amazing glimpse into a path not walked upon. The album serves both as a time capsule and a testament: McKay didn’t just help invent the sound of post-punk; he continued to shape it from the shadows. For fans of the Banshees, and of gothic, angular guitar work in general, this is essential listening—a long-buried treasure now finally unearthed. We need to be thankful for the endeavours of many people who have made this possible

Track Listing:-

1 Zen And The Art Of Nonsense
2 Fun On The Floor
3 The Blessed West
4 Taken For Granted
5 Looks Can Kill
6 Sacred Measure
7 Flare
8 Black Five
9 Vigilante
10 Zor Gabor
11 Tightrope