TRUE 'ENTERTAINMENT!' TONIGHT FROM THE REUNITED GANG OF FOUR.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

Time has finally caught up with the Gang of Four.

In reviews and interviews with popular young bands such as Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, the band's name is bandied about as a primary influence.

The resulting groundswell of media attention has prompted one of the least-expected music events of the decade - a reunion of the long-defunct British post-punk quartet that made sometimes abrasive, politically charged music in the late '70s and early '80s.

While the Gang of Four received little fanfare at the time, its impact was felt long after its breakup. Marrying polemics with funk and reggae rhythms to create a much-mimicked, never duplicated sound, echoes of the Gang of Four can be heard in such bands as Fugazi, R.E.M. and U2, although most people don't know it.

Formed at university in Leeds and named for the Maoist ``Gang of Four'' group of political/cultural revolutionaries, the band's initial lineup of Jon King (vocals), Andy Gill (guitar and backing vocals), Hugo Burnham (drums) and Dave Allen (bass) didn't last for the group's whole career. But it was this unit that produced the still-stunning 1979 debut, ``Entertainment!'' whose songs deal with consumerism in ways that still sting. In later albums, the group softened its slashing, feedback-laced attack and drifted toward disco before disintegrating entirely.

Shows by the reconstituted Gang of Four reveal no loss of the power or charisma that made the band's late-'70s gigs cherished memories. The group wraps up a U.S. tour tonight at the Avalon in Hollywood and Friday at the House of Blues Anaheim, and ``Return the Gift,'' a disc of newly re-recorded older tracks from the albums ``Entertainment!'' ``Solid Gold'' and ``Songs of the Free,'' has just been issued.

``Our lives went off in different tangents when the band broke up, and there was a sense of wanting to move forward,'' King said. ``At the time, it was a battle staying on the road. We were always a very confrontational band, and it took huge strength of will to carry on. Groups like Culture Club were increasingly popular, and all anybody wanted was rather conventional dance music.''

As demonstrated in a thrilling, invitation-only Hollywood club date Monday, Gang of Four can still fill the dance floor, even as lyrics discuss ``the problem of leisure.''

Always a riveting live act, the band had miraculously gained strength during the long period of inactivity. Gill's guitar work and stance was simply jaw-dropping, while King worked the entire stage as a ravenous audience howled its pleasure.

``When we decided to give this reunion a go, I hadn't even listened to 'Entertainment!' in more than a decade,'' King said. ``I forgot how distinctive it sounded. People kept writing articles about how these new bands like Franz Ferdinand sound like us, but everyone misses the biggest difference.

``They're still singing about going out and getting drunk and having fun. We very consciously avoided that sort of subject matter.''

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

GANG OF FOUR

Where: Avalon, 1735 N. Vine St., Hollywood; House of Blues Anaheim, 1530 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim.

When: 9 tonight (Hollywood), 8 p.m. Friday (Anaheim).

Tickets: $20 and $25. [phone], ticketmaster.com or gangoffour.us.

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Photo:

Often cited by today's bands as a primary influence, the original Gang of Four - Jon King, left, Andy Gill, Dave Allen and Hugo Burnham - have reunited for a tour and album.