The Stooges were irrepressible at Big Day Out `06 – a bunch of 60 year olds chewed up and spat out their competition. While Gang of Four aren’t quite that lineage yet, similarly they return with venomous assault on Return the Gift.

It’s easy to be sceptical regarding this release; why would the original band want to go back and go over old ground? Why not instead, like Mission of Burma (a band from the other side of the Atlantic but with remarkably similar ideals) record anew, refreshed and recharged by the intervening years? Because, quite simply, Return the Gift is all about doing the classics justice.

In re-recording their best moments, Gang of Four make the fourteen moments on Return the Gift sounds absolutely incredible all over again – from “To Hell With Poverty” through to “Anthrax” and “At Home He’s a Tourist”, the clarity of guitarist Andy Gill’s production on Return the Gift beefs the songs up remarkably, giving the songs a whole new lease of life in the process.

The remixes disc, featuring the likes of Ladyton, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phones, Dandy Warhols, and others, is more a curiosity, as the real deal is found on the first disc. That the likes of the Rakes, Bloc Party, and billions of others besides fail to match the tension/release found on Return the Gift is no surprise – in terms of arty funk-punk, Gang of Four were the progenitors of the sound, and are still capable of blowing away their successors with razor-sharp riffs, flexing bass, and a furious rhythm.