Michael Doherty's Music Log: The Mekons at Wild Honey Backyard Amphitheater, 7-27-25 Concert Review

The Mekons performing "Millionaire"

Is there anything better than catching a full-band Mekons show at a club? Yes: catching a full-band Mekons show at the Wild Honey Backyard Amphitheater. Following the group's fantastic Saturday night concert at Lodge Room, the Mekons played a very different sort of venue Sunday afternoon. "This is not the Mekons of last night," Jon Langford said when they took the stage just after 4 p.m. "This is a different Mekons." Same folks, same instruments, some of the same songs, but a different approach, a different vibe. A looser, more relaxed vibe. "See how relaxed Sally appears," Jon said. The place has a freer atmosphere. If you attended one of the shows that Jon Langford and Sally Timms played at this location, you know just what I mean. If you live in Los Angeles, and haven't attended a Wild Honey show, I highly recommend checking these folks out. They organize spectacular concerts, and for a great cause (that is, apart from the mental well-being of Los Angeles residents, which is also an important cause).

"Lost Highway"

There was no opener at the show, and, perhaps for that reason, the Mekons played two sets. The first set focused on music from Fear And Whiskey, released in 1985 and still regarded as one of the band's best albums (as well as an influential album). Jon joked about how when the album initially sold out, the band asked who was buying it. When the answer was "People in America," the band's response was, "Oh no, we'll have to go there." Now, of course, some of the band members, including Jon, live in the United States. They kicked off the set with "Lost Highway," the only cover on Fear And Whiskey. The song was written by, and originally recorded by, Leon Payne. It is the final song on Fear And Whiskey, and also a delightful way to open a concert. The song featured a good lead by Susie Honeyman on violin, plus some nice work by Rico Bell on accordion. And the afternoon was off to a wonderful start. By the way, I'm saying it's a full-band show, but Lu Edmonds was not with them because he is on tour with his other band, Public Image Ltd., at the moment.

"Last Dance"

The band followed "Lost Highway" with another song from Fear And Whiskey, "Abernant 1984/5," a fun song, and one that it was difficult to remain seated for. Afterward Sally addressed the whole seated show thing, saying the band is used to folks being seated because they played several City Winery gigs on this tour. But here the audience was at least facing the stage. The City Winery is certainly not the best place for a concert. Years ago, it was okay, at least for folk shows. The tables were spread out, and no one hassled you about purchasing anything. At least, that was the case in Boston. But that has changed. Now it is tight quarters, the chairs face the tables (unless you move yours, as I did when I recently saw Air Traffic Controller), and there is an amount you have to spend on food and drink (in addition to the ticket price). And staff keeps serving food throughout the show, which is annoying. I heard folks at the recent Boston Mekons show found spots to dance, which is great. Anyway, the band stuck with material from Fear And Whiskey, following "Abernant 1984/5" with "Last Dance," "Flitcraft," "Chivalry" and "Hard To Be Human Again." Yes, six songs in a row from that fantastic album (which, by the way, was for sale on vinyl on the merchandise table). Before "Flitcraft," Sally talked a bit about the Flitcraft story in the book The Maltese Falcon. Jon added, "It's a waltz, if you want to." I'm not sure if anyone managed it, because I didn't turn around to check. The folks around me in the front were doing sort of solo waltzes on their chairs, which amounted to a bit of swaying, I suppose. But really, whether seated or standing, everyone is easily immersed in the music of this band. Sally introduced "Chivalry" as one of her favorite Mekons songs, and the band delivered an excellent rendition yesterday. And "Hard To Be Human Again" was just fucking great. There was no kazoo (Sally said the night before that her kazoos were packed away), but Rico delivered some excellent work on harmonica.

"Oblivion"

It was clear that the band loved this venue as much as the audience did. Sally said she wished all shows were afternoon shows, and Jon mentioned another afternoon show where they played four songs and were done by 1 p.m., that being their Tiny Desk show (which I didn't even know about, and haven't yet seen). The band then moved on from Fear And Whiskey, playing "Oblivion," which was on the band's next album, 1986's The Edge Of The World, and featuring Sally on lead vocals. It's such a good song, and I love Dave's heavy bass part. Tom then took over lead vocals on "(Sometimes I Feel Like) Fletcher Christian," a song from So Good It Hurts. Yeah, they were sticking with 1980s material during the first set. That song featured some good drumming by Steve. "This isn't the end," Jon said, when announcing the final song of the set, "Beaten And Broken." "And the halftime show's going to be amazing." That last song was originally included on the compilation Original Sin, released in 1989, so the entire first set was made of material released in the second half of the 1980s. "Beaten And Broken" was later included on Jura, which was released in 2015. "I'd love to pass out on your shoulder." That's such a great line. The first set ended at 4:51 p.m.

"Sanctuary"

At 5:12, Jon was back on stage. "Just me this time," he joked. The others soon joined him. While the first set focused on Fear And Whiskey, the second set focused on the band's new album, Horror, which was released in April. Interestingly, just as the first six songs of the first set were from that earlier album, the first six songs of the second set were from the new release. And Jon shouted the name of the album when introducing it, as he did the previous night at Lodge Room. It's a word that needs to be shouted these days, isn't it? And if anyone is not horrified by what this country is doing to itself, he or she is part of the cult responsible for the horror. The band opened the second set with "Sanctuary," one of the album's best tracks. Susie came to the front of the stage for this one, she and Sally delivering an absolutely beautiful vocal performance. That was followed by "Mudcrawlers," with Jon first telling something of the story behind the song. And then they gave us "War Economy," a song I loved when I first heard it, and which I love more each time I hear it. If you don't yet own the album, I recommend ordering yourself a copy of it. This song has a fantastic punk spirit. And even though these songs address serious topics, they were delivered with so much joy that the crowd was smiling throughout.

"Fallen Leaves"

Next up was "Fallen Leaves," a gorgeous song that features Rico on lead vocals. Sally introduced Rico as an ex-Highland Park resident. I am never sure exactly where the various neighborhoods of L.A. begin and end, but the Saturday show was in Highland Park, and that wasn't all that far from where the Wild Honey show was. So if we weren't in Highland Park yesterday, we were certainly close to it. Jon introduced the song: "This is from our latest album, Horror," again shouting the album's title. He then added, "Sorry, neighbors." That was followed by another excellent song from Horror, "The Western Design," which is the lead track on that album. This was a particularly good rendition. At that point, more of the band members got involved with Jon's play on the delivery of the album's title, and even the sound person got in on the running joke. The sixth and final song from Horror was "You're Not Singing Anymore," with Rico again on lead vocals. And, yes, it's another wonderful song. Really, this album needs to be in your music collection.

"The Curse"

Sally then announced they were then moving into the past, and that the next song was not one she approved of putting on the set list. She misspoke, first calling the set list "the guest list," which led Jon to say the song was not on the guest list, the set list or the Epstein list. The song, "Ghosts Of American Astronauts," from So Good It Hurts, featured Sally on lead vocals, and included some excellent guitar work by Jon near the end. "Here's another rarity," Sally said afterward, introducing "Only Darkness Has The Power," a song from The Mekons Rock 'N' Roll. So, yeah, they had moved back into the late 1980s. "Do you trust me to tell the truth? Do you trust me?" After that, they dipped into the 1990s with "Millionaire" from I Heart Mekons, Jon saying the song has been rendered meaningless by inflation. As at the show the night before, at the end they changed the word to "billionaire," adding "We hate them billionaires." The set ended with "The Curse," which was a whole lot of fun. "Listen to our battle cry." The set, and the show, ended at 5:57 p.m. There was no encore, though according to the set list, two songs had been planned ("Corporal Chalkie" and "The Prince Of Darkness"). It was a perfect afternoon of music. What more could we ask for?

Set List

Set I