“Ace of Bass”: Gang of Four’s Dave Allen Dies at 69 After Dementia Struggle
We have sad news to share today as famed Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen has died. A cause was not disclosed, though it was stated he had been suffering from early onset dementia. He was 69 years old.
The band, which is set to begin their farewell tour later this month, shared the news on Instagram.
“It is with broken yet full hearts that we share the news that Dave Allen, our old music partner, friend, and brilliant musician, died on Saturday morning. He was at home with his family,” they wrote. “Dave had endured the early-onset of mixed dementia for some years which has been a heartbreaking time for his wife Paddy, his children, and close friends. Our love and thoughts are with them. Jon and I [Hugo] went to see him and spent a lovely afternoon with him and the family. We talked and laughed for hours, sharing rich and vivid memories of good times together. Adventures, careers in music, raising families, our interwoven lives spanning half a century. We’ve been so very lucky to have had the Ace of Bass in our lives. We know that Dave would have wanted nothing more than to step onstage with us again in Portland on our farewell US tour. But it’s now a bridge too far.”
Allen was born in Kendal, England in 1955. He joined Gang of Four in 1976 after replacing original bassist Dave Wolfson. It was in time to play on their first album, Entertainment!, on which his throaty, punchy bass lines propelled their unique sound. The blend of post-punk, funk, and ska would create a blueprint for indie bands to come.
Allen would play on their second album, Solid Gold, but would eventually quit mid-tour in 1981. He went on to form the band Shriekback with Barry Andrews of XTC as well as a host of other projects. He rejoined Gang of Four in 2004 for a reunion tour, only to quit again amid personal conflicts.
After a long playing career, he went into music technology and worked for Beats Music as well as Apple Music.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Dave Allen.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
