The British music world is mourning the loss of Kenny Morris, the pioneering drummer and founding member of the seminal post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. He has died at the age of 68.
A Founding Force in Post-Punk
Kenny Morris was a key architect of the Siouxsie and the Banshees sound during their formative and most influential years. He played on the band's first two landmark albums: 1978's 'The Scream' and 1979's 'Join Hands'. Both records are widely regarded as cornerstones of the post-punk genre, each climbing into the UK Top 20 and inspiring countless artists that followed.
His contribution to the band's iconic debut single, 'Hong Kong Garden', was instrumental in cementing their place in the London underground scene. Notably, Morris developed a unique recording technique, laying down the cymbals track before the tom-toms, a method that would go on to influence the sonic texture of post-punk music.
Morris's entry into the band came after he replaced Sid Vicious, who had played only one show with Siouxsie and the Banshees before departing for the Sex Pistols.
An Artistic and Eccentric Spirit
News of his passing was confirmed by his long-time friend, music journalist John Robb, who paid a moving tribute to Morris's character. Robb described him as "sweet, articulate, artistic and fascinating company", noting that his "beautiful eccentricity was adorable".
Robb recalled Morris's unforgettable and artful style, a direct carry-over from the 1976 punk era. "He would turn up in a suit and a dress with open handcuffs on one hand and the next time in a totally different yet perfectly created bricolage of style," Robb said, highlighting his friend's "gentle presence in a cruel world".
Morris's artistic pursuits extended far beyond music. After his departure from the Banshees in 1979—which followed an argument during an in-store signing—he attended film school and worked on live drumming projects. He later moved to Ireland, settling in Cork and then Dublin, where he established himself as a recognised painter. His works have been exhibited at major art shows in the Irish capital.
A Lasting Musical Legacy
The sudden exit of Morris and guitarist John McKay in 1979 marked a pivotal moment for Siouxsie and the Banshees, who subsequently evolved into a more new wave-oriented sound. Morris, however, left behind a powerful and enduring legacy defined by those first two explosive albums.
His drumming on 'The Scream' and 'Join Hands' provided a tense, tribal, and atmospheric backbone that became a definitive element of the early Banshees' identity. For fans and musicians alike, Kenny Morris remains a foundational figure of the post-punk movement—an artistic, gentle, and fiercely original spirit whose work continues to resonate.
