Open share drawer The UK post-punk pioneersâ influence always outshone their popularity, but a new box set makes a convincing case that stardom actually was within their reach. Why didnât Gang of Four become pop stars? Four and a half decades after the UK band began, the answer might seem obvious. From the start, their work was innovative and challenging, with politically aware lyrics that drew on academic theory and music that moved at razor-sharp angles. One reason why their early singles and first two albumsâcollected on this new 77-81 box set alongside a live 2xLP and a cassette of demosâstill sound so vital is that the band never pandered to the mainstream or dumbed its songs down.