Jon Klein

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For other people named Jonathan Klein, see Jonathan Klein (disambiguation).
Jon Klein
Birth nameJonathan David Klein
Born (1960-05-09) 9 May 1960 (age 61)
Bristol, England
GenresPost-punk, gothic rock, alternative rock, experimental
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals
Years active1977–present
Associated actsEuropeans, Specimen, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sinéad O'Connor, Space Tribe
WebsiteOfficial website
Jon Klein's band: Micko & the Mellotronics - official website

Jon Klein (born 9 May 1960) is an English guitarist, producer, best known for being a member of Siouxsie and the Banshees for seven years, from 1987 until 1994. Klein has worked for other artists including Talvin Singh and Sinéad O'Connor.

In 2020, he released new material with the band Micko and the Mellotronics.

Early years, Specimen and the Batcave[]

He bought an electric guitar at the age of 14.[1] In 1978, he became a member of Bristol band Europeans. In 1980, he formed Bristol band Specimen with Ollie Wisdom and Kev Mills. In 1982, after moving in London and renting a place in Soho,[1] Klein co-founded with Wisdom the club the Batcave, which was a party on wednesday nights at The Gargoyle.[2] Klein and Wisdom then opened a Batcave club night in New-York.[1]

Siouxsie and the Banshees (1987–1994)[]

In 1987, he became a full-time member of Siouxsie and the Banshees. He recorded three albums with the band, Peepshow in 1988, Superstition in 1991 and the Rapture in 1995. In between tours he used to do a puppet show for local kids.[3] With the Banshees, he took part of the inaugural Lollapalooza festival in 1991 as second headliners. Peer Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails, praised Klein as inspirational. Finck stated: "One guitar player that really was a memorable vision for me was Jon Klein, who I’d seen play with Siouxsie and the Banshees a couple of times [...]. I really liked his playful demeanour within that sort of dramatic scenario of the Banshees. He was a bit of a blend of Buster Keaton and Ace Frehley to me. I really liked his playful demeanour within that sort of dramatic scenario of the Banshees. [...] I felt like he was wistfully playful, yet was set inside of a darker narrative that, I dunno, something about his performance really resonated with me. He was seeming to polish cymbals in the middle of a song, or was playing the wah backwards, just constantly at play and in the moment. I felt like I was watching him walk around alone in his apartment, but at the same time he was mid-set with Siouxsie and them. Somehow his whimsy didn’t come off as a mockery of all the brood around him, but in contrast added dimension to it. A bit of a white clown. I liked that."[4] Klein left the Banshees before the rehearsals of the Rapture tour in late 1994.

Other collaborations (1990s–present)[]

Klein recorded with a wide array of other artists including Talvin Singh, Baron Puppett, Thomas Dolby, Shriekback, Lucia and Space Tribe; he also performed with Sinéad O'Connor.[2] For Singh, he played guitars on Mercury Music Prize album,[5] Ok which was released in 1998. He became musical director for a circus and toured in China and South East Asia at the beginning of the 21st century. In 2004, he returned to Art School to finish a degree he had started in 1981.[1] He then specialized himself into production while also being hired by theater compagnies and film compagnies to create soundtracks.[1] Klein co-produced an album for Spanish band Fangoria in 2016,[6] which went to number one in the Spanish albums chart.[7]

In 2018, he joined the group Micko and the Mellotronics as guitarist,[8] and co-produced the single "Noisy Neighbours" in 2020.[9] An animated video for the song "Psychedelic Shirt",[10] accompanied the release of the album ½ dove – ½ pigeon in November 2020,[11] available on vinyl,[12] and on digital download.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Le Boucanier, Thierry F. (2015). The Batcave:1982-1985. Le Camion Blanc. ISBN 2357796936.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Interview for Orkus Magazine". Jungle Records. August 1997. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  3. ^ Gales, Alain (September 1991). "Ex-fans des 60's [Siouxsie and the Banshees interview]". Rock & Folk.
  4. ^ McClelland, Ray (13 March 2020). "The guitarguitar Interview: Nine Inch Nails' Robin Finck". Guitarguitar.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  5. ^ Finn, Gary. Mercury prize for Talvin Singh Independent.co.uk. 8 September 1999
  6. ^ Dominguez, Chema (21 March 2016). "Fangoria Tecnologia Sensible". Efeeme.com. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Fangoria Canciones para Robots Romanticos". Spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Micko & The Mellotronics Press announcement". Sonicpr. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Micko and the Mellotronics Noisy Neighbours / You Killed My Father (Featuring Neil Innes)". Roughtrade.com. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
    "Micko & The Mellotronics on Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  10. ^ Babey, Ged (22 November 2020). "Micko & the Mellotronics: ½ dove – ½ pigeon – album review". louderthanwar. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  11. ^ "1/2 Dove – 1/2 Pigeon Micko and the Mellotronics [presentation]". Landlinerecords.com. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  12. ^ "1/2 Dove – 1/2 Pigeon Micko and the Mellotronics- Vinyl". Towerrecords.com. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
    "1/2 Dove – 1/2 Pigeon Micko and the Mellotronics- Vinyl". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  13. ^ "1/2 Dove – 1/2 Pigeon Micko and the Mellotronics - Digital Download". Mickowestmoreland.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 16 November 2020.

External links[]

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