Gang - Controversial Rock

The tight, lyrical rock of the Severini brothers' band has never forgotten that musical season straddling the Seventies and the Eighties, when rhythms were sharp, clean-cut and uncompromising.

Hailing from the Marche region, Gang established themselves as one of the most authentic and radical voices in Italian rock, capable of fusing the energy of punk and Anglo-American rock with historical memory, folk roots and political commitment. Led by brothers Marino and Sandro Severini, they built a coherent, passionate body of work, pushing beyond trends and staying true to an idea of music as cultural resistance.

Gang started out as Paper's Gang in the late '70s. Strongly inspired by the Clash, they were initially part of the punk scene in the Marche region, which also included bands such as Rivolta dell'odio, Cracked Hirn and Azione non violenta from Ancona, Cani from Pesaro, Reig from Macerata and Dictatrista from Ascoli Piceno. Their sound later shifted increasingly toward folk, while retaining fiercely politicized lyrics and a particular focus on combat rock.

1984 marked the band's recording debut with the self-produced album Tribes'Union, distributed through the underground circuit, whose very title stakes a claim to a collective, combative identity. Heavily influenced by the Clash, the record moves along punk and post-punk lines, but already hints at a desire to root rock music in Italian history and geography. Tribes'Union is a cry of belonging, struggle and hope, which found a place in the underground circuit and was warmly received by the specialist press.

With Barricada Rumble Beat (1987), the band from the Marche honed their sonic and political poetics further, still working in a self-produced mode. But it was with Reds (1988), thanks to signing with CGD, that Gang began a broader dialogue with the public, consolidating their reputation as a tireless, militant band.

The Nineties opened with an essential trilogy: Roots and Wings (1991), Storie d'Italy (1993) and Una volta per sempre (1995). With these three records, Gang established themselves for good within the landscape of Italian political song, renewing both its language and its tools.

Roots and Wings is a work that digs into the past in order to leap into the future. Songs like "Aprile" and "Questa casa non la mollerò" weave together memories of resistance and present-day tensions, with arrangements blending folk, rock and ethnic flourishes. Storie d'Italy is a concept album about collective memory, recounting forgotten figures, popular struggles and dark chapters of Italian history, with tracks like "La pianura dei sette fratelli" and "Kowalsky" becoming veritable civic anthems. Una volta per sempre, finally, is a record that reflects on identity and on where one stands, closing a circle while at the same time opening up new horizons.

With the move to Wea in 1997 and the release of Fuori dal controllo, Gang entered a new artistic phase. The sound grew more abrasive, the lyrics more visionary.

But it was with Controverso (2000) that the band reached one of the peaks of their creativity. Tracks like "Reflesciasa", co-written with Erri De Luca, and "Qui", where Sandro "Johnny Guitar" Severini's guitars set the soundscape ablaze, marked a return to rock at its rawest and purest. The record moves between literary and cinematic references, evoking Pier Paolo Pasolini, Andrea Pazienza, Dario Fo, but also Quentin Tarantino and Paulo Coelho. Controverso is a journey into the margins, into the deserts of consciousness and the outer limits of language. The lyrics carry a kind of "fallout" atmosphere, with Marino's words coming down like axes on the contradictions of modern life: "After our digressions into the folklore of our homeland, the Marche, we wanted to go back to making a big rock record, piling on as much distorted guitar as possible," says Marino Severini. "In that sense, I think we learned a great lesson from the latest Pearl Jam record. As for the lyrics, the path was harder: we feel like representatives of that part of the left that got left behind, defeated, unable to make sense of a modernity made up of wars and social injustice." And a certain tension is palpable throughout the album: "Yes, the record is the result of all this: there's a tense atmosphere running through it, which personally takes me back to a year ago, to the conflict in Europe, to the positions taken by our government. Something more than a mere strategy has left its mark on us, carving a line between a 'before' and an 'after', and perhaps pushing us even further away from what we used to believe politics was."

The album, whose birth was accompanied by lengthy disputes between the band and the record label over promotional strategy, is also a love letter to characters, feelings and scents that today belong nowhere. Andrea Pazienza, the Clash and the Bologna of '77, name-checked in "Paz" — who even remembers them anymore? But for Gang, the dimension of memory isn't harmful as long as it's paired with an expressive flair that keeps pace with the times, entrusted to Sandro Severini's guitars, tight and thunderous, melancholy at times, cutting through the songs and acting as a counterpoint to Marino's voice.

In 2001 the Gang City Ramblers project was born, a collaboration with Modena City Ramblers. It's a meeting between two souls of Italian combat folk, celebrating the value of sharing and collective action.

In 2004 the collaboration with La Macina gave rise to the albums Nel tempo and Oltre cantando, in which Gang reinterpret the folk tradition of the Marche region through a rock lens. Songs like “Stavo in bottega che lavoravo” and “Cecilia” are turned into epic anthems, showing how folk music can still be subversive.

2006 brings a moving moment with The seed and the hope, an album dedicated to working the land and to peasant memory. Songs like “Lacrime del sole” tell of a deep, rooted, resilient humanity.

Gang return to their historic civic calling with Canzoni di resistenza: 4 maggio 1944 – In memoria, an album dedicated to a Nazi-fascist reprisal that took place in Sant’Angelo di Arcevia (Ancona), in which 63 people were killed, including the Mazzarini family, who had given shelter to the partisans. The track “La pianura dei sette fratelli”, reinterpreted by the Coro delle Mondine di Novi, shows how Gang's songs have by now become part of the folk tradition. The record also includes “This Land Is My Land” by Woody Guthrie, featuring numerous guests, and “Lacrime del sole”, a new peasant anthem. It's a work that celebrates “peasant humanism”, as Marino Severini calls it. The album was recorded at home so that Paolo Mozzicafreddo, drummer since 1997 and already gravely ill, could take part in the sessions. Mozzicafreddo died on June 19, 2006, at the age of 31. He was later replaced by Piero Montecchiari until 2008, and subsequently by young Francesco Bigoni.

In 2011 came The red spring, a collection of Resistance songs that includes classics like “Fischia il vento”, “La brigata Garibaldi”, “Festa d’aprile”, “Quei briganti neri” and “Pietà l’è morta”, alongside some of the finest Italian singer-songwriter tracks inspired by the anti-fascist struggle.

That same year saw the release of “Gang e i suoi fratelli”, a tribute album in which friends and kindred bands reinterpret Gang's classic songs, spanning folk, punk, rock and singer-songwriter traditions. Each group reworked Gang's songs in its own style: from the hardcore punk of Guacamaya to the folk of La Macina, by way of the folk-rock of Ned Ludd and Hombre all’Ombra, the rock'n'roll of Mez of Ratoblanco and Barricada 22, the British-flavored pop of Elimania, the patchanka of Malavida, right through to the singer-songwriter style of Marco Sonaglia and the raw power of Fev. Also featured were members of Modena City Ramblers and two special guests: poet Ugo Capezzali and writer Daniele Biacchessi.

With Massimo Priviero and Daniele Biacchessi, Gang created Storie dell’altra Italy (2012), a double live album that weaves together music and civic theatre, telling the stories of forgotten soldiers, rebellious students, striking workers, and persecuted intellectuals. It's an attempt to give a voice to those who never had one.

In 2012, with Roots and Wings Live – Venti di Gang, the band from the Marche region celebrated twenty years of one of their most beloved albums. The subsequent remastered reissue of The seed and the hope confirmed their commitment to preserving and relaunching a musical legacy that is also a cultural and political one.

In 2015, Gang released Blood and ashes, their twelfth studio album and their first collection of new material in 15 years. The record was funded through crowdfunding, raising over 55,000 euros from 1,186 backers. The recording sessions involved both Italian and American musicians, including Garth Hudson of The Band and members of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. The result is an album that blends folk, rock and social commitment, with lyrics tackling themes such as struggle, historical memory and social justice. Among the standout tracks are “Blood and ashes”, “Il fumo e il fuoco” and “Vento di rivolta”.

Three years later came Calibro 77, an album marking a return to the band's roots, with a more direct, raw sound. The record was recorded in Italy and the United States, maintaining the collaboration with producer Jono Manson. The songs deal with themes of resistance, identity and memory, continuing the band's tradition of addressing social and political issues through music.

Among the most significant tracks are “La resistenza del cuore”, “Fiamme su cenere” and “L’ombra del guerriero”.

In 2021, Gang released Return to the fire, their fourteenth studio album. This project too was funded through crowdfunding, raising over 72,000 euros from 1,611 backers. The record features a rich, varied sound, with influences ranging from rock to folk, and lyrics addressing current issues such as solidarity, the fight for rights and historical memory. Among the most notable tracks are “Return to the fire”, “Sotto la stessa stella” and “Luci nella notte”.

With Between silences and gunshots (2024), the band from the Marche region put together an ambitious project that includes new recordings of tracks drawn from their earlier albums, from Roots and Wings (1991) to Controverso (2000). The project was once again funded through crowdfunding, raising over 70,000 euros from 1,500 backers. It also includes two bonus albums: “Quanto amore (Omaggio a Claudio Lolli)”, a collection of songs by the Bolognese singer-songwriter reinterpreted in acoustic form, and “Re-Incanto”, which presents new semi-acoustic versions of songs from Blood and ashes and Return to the fire. Among the main tracks are “Between silences and gunshots”, “Sotto il cielo di maggio” and “Il viaggio dei pensieri”.

Besides their studio albums, Gang have taken part in various projects and collaborations. In 2011, they contributed to “Quando gli angeli cantano”, a tribute album to Fabrizio De André, alongside other artists. In 2012, they took part in the “Storie dell’altra Italy” project, a double live album telling stories of resistance and civic commitment. In 2022, they collaborated with the Que Viva Gang Orchestra on the “Que Viva Gang” project, a tribute to their music and to the Italian folk tradition.

Gang have continued to perform live, taking part in festivals and concerts throughout Italy. Their work has been recognized for its social and political commitment, cementing their reputation as one of the most significant bands on the Italian folk rock scene, and showing how, through self-financing and the active participation of their fans, it was possible to sustain an independent musical career even in difficult times.

Gang, then, are not just a band: they are a community, a memory in motion, a poetic and resilient force that has managed to cross the decades while staying true to its own voice. And that voice, even today, keeps on singing stories of passionate resistance.

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