80's Post-Punk/Indie Guitar HACKS You NEED To Know! (The Cure, Joy Division etc)

Today we dive into the iconic guitar sounds of bands like The Cure, Joy Division, Gang Of Four & more! Discover the essence of post-punk guitarists here.
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#postpunkguitar #guitar #postpunk

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

I should have done this long ago, but if you want to support the channel you can now ‘buy me a coffee’ I even set up a membership there if you are an absolute mega legend and want to help me out even more! Here’s the link: www.buymeacoffee.com/thesethingsmakenoises

[@maciekjankowskitomkow4107]

Im glad i've found this channel, im into alternative guitar stuff exclusiveley and cant really relate to most popular channels that focus on solos and blues-like playing only

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks mate!!

[@GaylordBonnafous]

Exactly. That's 99,9 % of the videos. And bass videos are all only about funk. Is it really the only style you can play with a bass? 😂

[@lilnutty6821]

Who are your fav guitar players?

[@Herfinnur]

Same here

[@10julesmusic]

92 likes says you’re not alone. What is refreshing here is the absolute disregard of the so called proper way to play.

[@z23xc5]

What I love about these old post punk bands is how tasteful the guitar playing is - every note is deliberate and needs to be there making the music sound really punchy and tight. Absolutely no guitar wankery.

[@brutallyremastered4255]

So much of that shit on Interwebs - so many Americans wanking on about the intricacies of their heroes and all their damned gear. It's onanism really. Imagine Mark E Smith watching Rick Beato or some other LA type.

[@meatsuitsublimator8506]

Solid state amps, as opposed to tubes, were a big part of the post-punk sound. The Roland JC120 was used pretty often.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Ahhh yes 100% great shout.

[@mooseyard]

Andy Gill of Gang of Four was emphatic that he wasn’t playing melody/lead; the guitar was for rhythm. A lot of post-punk has this inversion where the bass plays a more melodic role. Also, on Entertainment! at least, Gill used a cheap transistor amp with the treble turned up, and zero reverb. Some of my absolute favorite post-punk guitar is Robin Guthrie's on early Cocteau Twins records. Before he accumulated enough gear to sound ethereal or swirly, his sound was comprised of very harsh high-string arpeggios like the ones you demoed. In particular, the guitar sound on “Garlands” is just terrifying.

[@chriswareham]

The Cocteau Twins disowned Garlands, but it's my favourite of all their albums. The guitar is so discordant and harsh sounding that I think it provides a contrast to the ethereal vocals, whereas on their later recordings there's not enough contrast as everything is drowned in reverb.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Absolutely love Cocteau twins!

[@duncanpoundcake]

'Over The Wall' is a work of utter genius.

[@Tethered_to_the_Polestar]

Each Post Punk band of note tried to create their own sound. Often there wasn’t a lot of dirt used on amps, Jazz Chorus, HH and clean Fenders were super popular.

[@davemish4163]

I've been working on John McGeoch songs lately, specifically his work with Siouxsie and the Banshees. It's definitely useful for your picking hand and chord voicings. He was famous for his unique use of flange, which was another prominent Post Punk effect.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

That’s a great shout! Nice one

[@plonk8675]

Damaged goods is such a good song

[@andyglamrock]

Siouxsie and the Banshees' guitarists were tremendously influential in Post Punk, especially John McGeoch who Johnny Marr cites as a big influence on him (he's also a massive Nile Rodgers fan who he named his son after). And before that you have Television's guitarists Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine who loved 60s soul and R&B

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Very true! I need to listen to more of them!

[@lilnutty6821]

You have great knowledge

[@Tethered_to_the_Polestar]

Pleased you mentioned Television.

[@chriswareham]

A possible alternative to the chorus pedals you suggested, is the Boss BF-2 or BF-3 pedal. There's a video up on KZbin from a guy called Michael Banfield where he shows how versatile it is for not just flanger but chorus and other modulation effects. It nails so many of the post punk and other 80s alternative music guitar sounds that it's an obvious contender for what I call "three pedal" guitar boards - one each of distortion, modulation and spatial (delay/reverb) pedals. Edited to add that the EHX Memory Man was absolutely a part of the post punk sound as well as other genres it spawned. The Edge from U2 has stated it was what gave him his trademark sound long before he switched to Korg rack mounted units. A bit like the Boss flanger, it was much more than just a delay since it could produce modulated sounds as well.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Yeah Michael banfields videos are great aren’t they! Ahhh that’s good tk know, I thought as much!

[@djh6970]

Loved this video.i grew up listening to this genre. It’s funny, I remember as a 15 year old kid bringing loose change in an old sock to the record shop when heaven up here came out to buy it. It and Joy division closer shaped my musical path. Now in my late 50’s I’m learning guitar. Good times👍

[@Epilepi89]

I really like this channel, your videos are very helpful to me. I'd love to write music in this style so I'm sure I'll be revisiting this video in the future. One thing your videos have made me want to do is go and relearn all of the music theory I forgot after high school but this time actually tie it into the guitar.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Ahh thanks so much mate. To be honest I think making these is actually making me a better guitarist too! I get to go through stuff I haven’t looked at for years and am learning new stuff too.

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

I first heard Echo and the Bunnymen with the singles from Porcupine. To be honest it was probably the sitar that drew me to them. It was at the time my musical interest was growing and developing (up to then it was probably just teenybop/Top 40), and I'd always been drawn to what I later learned was new wave/indie/alternative. They's have been the first band I'd have bought the complete run of albums by (up to the album with Dancing Horses when they had pretty much become a tribute band to themselves in a way). Ocean Rain is probably them at their peak and was my fave album of all-time until proto-grunge and grunge of Pixies, Pumpkins, Nirvana et al.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Yeah ocean rain is a true masterpiece isn’t it. I remember Kiran (singer in my band) got to see ocean rain in full at Glastonbury. Wish I’d been there!

[@stevendavidson391]

Great video. That open string drone is a trick I use a lot. Learned it from Billy Duffy, Stuart Adamson and Jake Burns

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks!! Oh awesome!

[@blpaul3]

This was a great lesson! Thoroughly enjoyed playing along, My journey and education into this genre of music would not be as successful without this channel. Thanks mate! Cheers!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks so much mate!

[@superlogico8260]

very nice! One thing though: Robert Smith's effect by definition was flanger, and "A Forest" is like the ultimate example of it.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Yeah fair!

[@mattiafellegara4921]

ur videos open my creativity soooo much thank you

[@cristianarantes1236]

Amazing video, keep up with nice post-punk stuff, you rock!

[@badeyesight]

Hi Dan....Was on the lookout for some post punk inspiration and your videos popped up. Great, relatable, honest and to the point videos. I realized you are in the October Drift band after watching. Love your bands fierce sound and hope touring went well. I love my Nano big muff , pitchfork and MXR Carbon Copy. Keep up the good work. Cheers!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Ahh thanks so much!!

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

Seaven Seas...Swimming there so well... The Cure, smash that chorus!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

💜🙌

[@jetjaguar72]

So many great tips here. I was thinking "wow, dude looks so familiar, have I already watched his channel?" Nope. Just happen to be in one of my favorite new bands October Drift! Lolol! So thanks for the tips and the great records! 👍🏼

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Hahhaa no way! That’s awesome. Thanks for watching ✌️

[@benhanbury]

Really enjoying this channel and music, great video. Will be checking out Gang of Four!

[@daveduffy2823]

You have to have a flanger along with delay and/or chorus. It really adds to atmosphere.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

I need to see if I’ve got one hiding in the pedal draw

[@TommyrotLLC]

These arpeggio lead things work great along with open strings when you find the right spot and in the right song. Instant Cure.

[@al271987]

Fun video thanks! Also, love October Drift, just got into them. Great band!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks so much!

[@citizenchris099]

I really appreciated this video. great info!

[@tenkarabadger5244]

Another great lesson. You’ve really helped me become a more creative guitarist.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks mate!

[@marinrealestatephotography]

Thanks for the hacks!!! Grew up listening to these bands!!!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

🙌🙌

[@reedl2353]

Yep, when you think about bands in punk, post-punk, and alternative, whether in England or America, these were bands that had no money. When you think about their gear, they played quite literally whatever they could get their hands on. Whatever was available. Cheap was great. Free was even better. Legal was OK, but negotiable. Sound was an afterthought, and people adapted to what was available. It's an interesting exercise. Don't pick gear to create a sound - buy two or three pieces of gear, and then make your sound out of them, period. Mind you, I tried it and utterly failed! I'm a reverb junkie and own a dozen reverb pedals. Been using the same phaser for years, though.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Yeah that’s really interesting! I think Play what you can get and then as you can afford more maybe you can sculpt it a bit better, but ultimately you’re gonna still get great sounds from cheap gear

[@FuzzleMusic]

Unbelievably helpful and inspiring. Cheers!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@emorystoffle8987]

I love the Mogwai shout out nobody really seems to talk about them where I live. For Ritchie Sacromento the way I learned it was the chords to me were Aminor Fmajor Cmajor Gmajor for the main verse riff and the intro is just power chords of them on the d and g string way up beyond the 12th fret.

[@emorystoffle8987]

I'd also love to here more of a Mogwai style post rock lesson too that would be awesome but like I said great video.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Great tips!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

That’s a great idea thanks!

[@rockerchefdave]

Cool video. Going to employ a good bit of what I just learned. Post punk bands yielded a lot of creative guitar work.

[@yusufamir3010]

Super underrated channel. So glad i found it!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks so much!

[@erikberg8352]

Great overview of how the stylistic elements (small voicings of the melodic content made more interesting with modulation effects) were pretty common but achieved with a variety of equipment. Everyone was looking for stark, jarring, impactful guitar bits and pushing away from the baroque elements of Zeppelin, KISS, Ted Nuget, etc. Ironically, this seems to have morphed into the pedal board arms race of shoegaze. A big part of The Cure's early sound was Robert Smith on a Bass VI. His current Schecter Baritone is a bit of an homage to that, and those instruments lend themselves to the spare chord voicings and pedaling open strings with modulation and keyboards + jangly guitars filling in the open sonic space. Joy Division's lack of bass on the bass parts fits in here as well though they tended to leave the space blank. I'd be interested to hear what you think of the rhythmic approaches these bands used and how the guitar fit in with bass & drums.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks mate. I think you’re right. I guess like you mentioned the bass tended to be providing melody rather than low end bass! Really cool feature for sure!

[@3xtan327]

The riff at 6:20 sounded straight out of an interpol song Edit: nvm you mentioned that like 10 seconds later

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Haha! It’s basically ‘rescue’ by the bunny men but it totally does doesn’t it.

[@trianglerecords]

I make music with these influences and your explications are great. The flanger was used a lot too.

[@robanderson251]

Great video, agree i think that Will Sergeant is an often overlooked but massively influential guitar player. I was a massive Cure fan in the 1980s and love the guitar sound Robert Smith got on those first couple of albums. I read somewhere that alot of the studio sound was him playing two guitar lines with tuned slightly flat relative to the other to get that thick chorusy / flangy sound - never tried it but i think that is the basic principle of a chorus effect so who knows.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Ahh that’s really cool! I might have a go at that.

[@kevinsolie2208]

learned a bunch

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks again mate. Really do appreciate it.

[@mandingo5545]

Love the vid! What’s the guitar on the thumbnail? Its beautiful

[@alexsmart5452]

Check out John McGeoch in Magazine playing open strings on songs like Rhythm of Cruelty. Might have been one of the first Post Punk guitarists to influence it.

[@johnvroegh2608]

I play in an 80s alternative coverband. I don't want to use much pedals. So I use ehx soul food for some grit, ehx neo clone ( with dept switch up ) and a nux analoque delay. And I switched from a Epi SG to a Telecaster for a more trebly sound

[@gazeunderthesunmusic]

I think Gated Reverb played a part of the post punk, I think Mission of Burma and Wire are Definitely my Favourite post punk bands

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

That makes sense actually!

[@GregBonks]

When it comes to guitars Telecasters are hard to beat, my main guitar now is a Tele Deluxe (because of Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand) even with the humbuckers it cuts through like a tele standard.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Ahh that sounds awesome. Yeah the ones with humbuckers look great to be fair!

[@MilesICBarker]

+1 for the Shergold behind you

[@aedenserano3439]

I like using blues drivers for these kind of tones gives it a nice sharpness

[@andsoistopped]

Just great sounds.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks mate!

[@capitaldharma]

You keep putting out great stuff! BTW, how do you do your drum tracks?

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks! I mainly just use logic drummer and get different styles for what I want to play to. A top tip I’ve learnt to make them sound more ‘real’ is to add a little bit of distortion.

[@capitaldharma]

@@thesethingsmakenoises that’s cool. I wonder if I should upgrade to Logic or maybe just get EZ Drummer

[@zulfikarfilandra]

great lesson, merci. btw, is it a Player Tele?

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Merci! Im not sure it’s not mine, I will have a look at the studio today!

[@denverrandy7143]

I Love this Channel!!!

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks dude!!

[@haroldbaker555]

Sounds so fucking good man.

[@denverrandy7143]

Ritchie Sacramento is Danny Californias step son.😜🤘

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Hahaha!

[@vincent7626]

Whens the lesson book with tabs and sounds settings coming out? *hint hint lol. Great stuff as always.. and its free! thank you sir for all your hard work

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Haha! That sounds like a great shout 😂

[@denverrandy7143]

What is the pedal you used awhile back thats half big muff and half boss chainsaw

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Did you mean the Warlow? Half rat half bigmuff?

[@joaquingarzon9320]

awesome

[@roach7616]

I'd be curious to hear if you have any experience getting these sounds but through using plugins in a DAW rather than pedals etc?

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

Have you covered Bob Mould with Husker Du and Sugar? Or Joey Santiago with The Pixies?

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

No, but there’s some pixies stuff in my video coming out Sunday!

[@haroldbaker555]

How do you do your drums man?

[@nedim_guitar]

I've never really listened to any of those bands, I've just heard a few songs by The Cure and one or two by Joy Division, but I do play some of those two note lines, oftentimes with more distortion.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Deffo worth a listen mate!

[@nedim_guitar]

@@thesethingsmakenoises I will, eventually 😄

[@martingalvan9288]

What kind of guitar is good for post punk ? I have the Epiphone Les Paul with humbuckers ? Also for a human Tetris type of sound

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Yeah you’ll get a good sound, just pop it on bridge pick-up! And add trebles/cut bass from the amp

[@kevinsolie2208]

I heard that Kyle's sister plays bass.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Hahaha!

[@rveen]

Should 2:46 be a F#m Barre chord?

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Haha oh god, yeah my bad!!! 😂😂

[@freeelectron8261]

The Cure is more flanger effect than chorus. Like Boss BF-2.

[@_Stroda]

More Geordie Walker. More John McGeoch.

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Fair!!

[@carsonk6288]

Your the best

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Thanks mate!

[@Kulturmatt]

Been greedily waiting for my bleach to arrive. Ordered in august...

[@thesethingsmakenoises]

Ahhh awesome! Any idea when they are dropping?

[@Kulturmatt]

No idea@@thesethingsmakenoises I think they're getting fed up with me asking! ordered a super weirdo as well. kinda wish i'd ordered a fernweh...

[@SilverbackOrangutan71]

I thought you were Dmitri coats at first

[@ThreadBomb]

The Cure used chorus on Disintegration and Wish, but in the time of A Forest they were just using flangers.

[@ushnicyuvnikof2748]

You can get into this ballpark (and probably make 10 albums) on a single coil guitar, with a RAT or DS-1, chorus & delay or reverb into a clean amp (you could probably even emulate everything but the guitar if you wanted too). Which shouldn't break the bank.

[@Mr.Steve-O]

Post Punk was much more interesting than Hardcore and still is. Siouxie, Echo, JD, Killing Joke, GO4 etc. Grew bored of 3 chord songs and politics (Thank God )