Industrial post-punkers Killing Joke feature on the excellent ‘Bustin’ Out, The Post Punk Era 1979-1981‘ compilation and we’re pleased to have their contribution available for download. The comp is perfectly done, with almighty tracks from Bush Tetras, Josef K and 23 Skidoo alongside this great track and the excellent Lizzy Mercier Descloux, among others. From 1979 to today Killing Joke remain an incredibly influential group. Indeed, if you think you haven’t heard them, you almost certainly have – James Murphy used their ‘Change’ as the bass and drum hook for LCD Soundsystem’s killer ‘Losing My Edge’ and Nirvana’s ‘Come As You Are’ was just as much an “homage” to Killing Joke’s ‘Eighties’ as ‘…Teen Spirit’ was to Boston’s ‘More Than A Feeling’. Anyway, the track is pretty much mindblowing as is, without all the history etc, so download below and check out videos for ‘Change’ and ‘Eighties’ after the jump.

MP3: Killing Joke – Almost Red

ACR formed in 1978 and over the last 30 years their pioneering brand of punk-funk briefly had NYC looking to Manchester for pointers and turned out to have a huge influence on the likes of LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Franz Ferdinand – a whole generation of artists who like to move your feet as well as your mind. One of Factory Record’s many inspired signings, they went on to continually record albums that were ahead of their time and took years to be rediscovered and appreciated. The Soul Jazz label’s reissues in 2004 brought their work to a new audience and since then the band have been carefully selecting shows such as LA’s recent ‘Part Time Punks’ festival alongside The Slits, Love Is All, Pylon, and the sadly cancelled reunion of ACR and ESG which was planned for the Barbican in March. Read on for a full history of A Certain Ratio with comprehensive video and sound…

Wire are arguably the most important British band to come out of the punk and post-punk explosion. More inquisitive than The Sex Pistols, poppier than The Au Pairs, more experimental than Gang Of Four, the art school foursome also had the talent to constantly change and evolve their sound. From 1977’s ‘Pink Flag’ through to 2007’s ‘Read And Burn 03′ EP, every release offers something different to the listener. With a new album, ‘Object 47′, released later this year, the band aren’t on some nostalgia/revival trip; this is important music pushing 21st century boundaries in the same way the band changed music so radically in the 1970’s. For a full history, with rare live videos, read on…

With the news that Matador are reissuing three classic discs from Mission Of Burma, with a WHOLE TON of extras, it’s a great time to look back over the career of a band whose influence is felt in all alternative rock music today. From the Pixies, to Throwing Muses, to Nirvana, and even to Moby… all of these artists have acknowledged the importance of Mission Of Burma.

Without a doubt one of the most influential British post-punk bands, Gang of Four formed in 1977 after meeting at Leeds University.

The band mixed punk with elements of funk and dub reggae, and the founding members Gill and King ensured the band acted as commentators on the social and political problems faced in the late seventies/early eighties.

Their first release, Damaged Goods was a number one indie chart hit and received plenty of radio play from John Peel. See below for a video of them performing it live.

With the release of new Bush Tetras album “Very Very Happy” recently, it’s a great time to reaquaint ourselves with one of the most influential bands to come out of the fertile NY post-punk scene. So grab a track from the album by reading on…