With Kaleidoscope Siouxsie and the Banshees find a colorful way into the UK Top 5

Siouxsie and The Banshees : Lunar Camel

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On August 1, 1980 Siouxsie and the Banshees released Kaleidoscope, the band's third album and first with a new line-up that included former Slit Budgie on drums and ex-Magazine John McGeoch on guitars. Siouxsie Sioux herself learned to play the guitar after she was prescribed a month of rest following a major tour.

Fans had already heard two singles from the album, "Happy House" and "Christine" so this was an opportunity to dig a bit deeper and find out why the album was called Kaleidoscope. The answer is because the band was adding new colors to their sound as well as new instrumentation including synthesizers, sitars and drum machines 

The album sold well, peaking at UK#5 , and leading to the band's first tour of America. This review is from Smash Hits:

Melody Maker's Paulo Hewitt gave the album qualified praise, summarizing it as "a kaleidoscope of sound and imagery, new forms, and content, flashing before our eyes".

The album ranked #47 in NME's year end list but it has grown in stature over the decades. 

The bizarre mental illness that inspired Siouxsie and The Banshees' "Christine"

Siouxsie and the Banshees : Christine

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On May 30, 1980 Siouxsie and the Banshees released their UK#23 hit "Christine" b/w "Eve White, Eve Black", based on the life of Christine Sizemore whose experiences with multiple personality disorder ( now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder)   also inspired The Three Faces of Eve. 

The Banshees consisted of an almost entirely new line-up after John McKay and Kenny Morris ditched the band during the Join Hands tour. In came drummer Budgie and guitarist John McGeoch who gave the band, in Siouxsie's words, " a new lease on life". 

The forth coming album Kaleidoscope would be the best selling of the band's effort so far, peaking at UK#5.

"Christine" even goes so far to name drop The Strawberry Girl and the Banana Split Lady, two of Sizemore's personalities. Bassist Steve Severin had read Sizemore's book I'm Eve detailing her battle with personalities competing to take over.

Siouxsie gets sarcastic with Top 20 hit "Happy House"

Siouxsie and the Banshees : Happy House

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On March 9, 1980 Siouxsie and the Banshees entered the UK charts at #36 with "Happy House", a song that debuted the new Banshees lineup and sound. During the Join Hands tour both guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris ditched the band. They were replaced by Magazine's John McGeoch on guitar Slits drummer Budgie whose interest in tribal polyrhythms are already evident here.

Siouxsie has said the song is sarcastic:

In a way, like television, all the media, it is like adverts, the perfect family whereas it is more common that husbands beat their wives. There are mental families really but the projection is everyone smiling, blond hair, sunshine, eating butter without being fat and everyone perfect.

The song would peak at UK#17 and top critic Jon Pareles' list of best single of the year:

Siouxsie + the Banshees: “Happy House” (Polydor import);  
Glenn Branca: “Lesson No. 1” (99); 
NRBQ: “Me and the Boys” (Red Rooster);  
The Dance: “Dance for Your Dinner” (ON import EP); 
 Bush Tetras: “Too Many Creeps” (99);  
Joy Division: “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (Factory import);  
Rod Stewart: “Passion” (Warner Bros.); 
Paul Simon: “Late in the Evening” (Warner Bros.); 
The Method Actors: “This Is It” (Armageddon import EP); 
Colin Newman: “B”/”Classic Remains”/”Alone on Piano” (Beggars Banquet).