Listen to Helmet's electric new cover of Gang of Four’s 'In the Ditch'
Helmet have shared a cover of Gang of Four’s ‘In the Ditch’ – listen to it below.
The new rendition is taken from the upcoming tribute album, ‘The Problem Of Leisure: A Celebration Of Andy Gill And Gang Of Four’, which pays tribute to the pioneering UK post-punk band and their late guitarist, who died last year.
Following Tom Morello and Serj Tankian’s take on ‘Natural’s Not In It’, Massive Attack‘s Robert “3D” Del Naja and Nova Twins’s remix of ‘Where The Nightingale Sings’, and Warpaint’s version of ‘Paralysed’, it marks Helmet’s first new track in almost five years.
Explaining the decision to cover ‘In The Ditch’, Helmet frontman Page Hamilton said: “I chose ‘In the Ditch’ for this tribute ’cause it’s a great song even though it was challenging (thank you to my band!). It feels improvised and random at times but holds together as a composition.
“The guitar part feels like spontaneous scratchy funk, the angular bass and drum groove grooves hard but sounds like there’s a spoke missing. The vocal is somehow beautiful but scary, urgent and dangerous.”
Speaking on Gang Of Four’s impact, he added: “My old pal Henry Rollins reissued [the Gang Of Four albums] ‘Entertainment!’ and ‘Solid Gold’ back in the ’90s and asked me to do liner notes for ‘Solid Gold’. I don’t remember what I wrote, but I know it was glowing, corny and fanboy.
“Their songs, feel, energy, inventiveness made an indelible imprint on my musical soul. All of our peers that formed bands in the late ’80s were influenced by Gang Of Four.”
Listen to Helmet’s cover of ‘In The Ditch’ below:
‘The Problem Of Leisure’ will be released on May 28 and can be pre-ordered here. Check out the full tracklist below:
Side A
1. IDLES – ‘Damaged Goods’
2. Tom Morello & Serj Tankian – ‘Natural’s Not in It’
3. Helmet – ‘In the Ditch’
4. 3D* x Gang of Four feat. Nova Twins – ‘Where the Nightingale Sings (Redux)’
5. Hotei – ‘To Hell With Poverty’
Side B
1. Gary Numan – ‘Love Like Anthrax’
2. Gail Ann Dorsey – ‘We Live As We Dream, Alone’
3. Herbert Grönemeyer feat. Alex Silva – ‘I Love a Man in a Uniform’
4. LoneLady – ‘Not Great Men’
5. JJ Sterry – ‘5.45’
Side C
1. La Roux – ‘Damaged Goods’
2. Everything Everything – ‘Natural’s Not in It’
3. Dado Villa-Lobos – ‘Return The Gift’
4. The Dandy Warhols – ‘What We All Want’
5. Warpaint – ‘Paralysed’
Side D
1. Flea & John Frusciante – ‘Not Great Men’
2. The Sounds – ‘I Love a Man in a Uniform’
3. Hardcore Raver in Tears – ‘Last Mile’
4. Killing Joke x Gang of Four – ‘Forever Starts Now (Killing Joke Dub)’
5. Sekar Melati – ‘Not Great Men (live version)’
