The Mekons Bring Their Special Magic To Sierra Madre, 10-11-25

Mekons performing "Abernant 1984/5"

I would prefer to never give another cent to the greedy monsters behind the Live Nation/Ticketmaster empire. And one delightful way to avoid funding those beasts is to attend house concerts, one area they haven't yet managed to infiltrate. There is a looseness and an intimacy at those shows that is either absent or at least not as prevalent at other types of venues. The bands tend to be more relaxed and have a better time at house concerts. There is also a greater possibility that they'll take chances in their set lists, and that's when the magic is most likely to happen. And no worries about being overcharged for a plastic cup of beer, like at House Of Blues or someplace. Hell, just bring your own cooler of beer. That's what I do. And when the band is the Mekons, and it happens to be Jon Langford's birthday, well, you know you are in for something special. Last night the Mekons (that is, half of them: Jon, Sally Timms, Susie Honeyman and Rico Bell) brought their great sense of fun and joy to the backyard of a house in Sierra Madre, California, and it ended up being one of the best shows I've ever attended. 

Sue introduced the band

Though this house concert series (Mariposa Music) has all the necessary sound equipment, the decision was made by the band to perform without any amplification, just as they had done the previous night at the art gallery, and that decision gave the show even more of an intimate vibe. These are the nights I live for. When everything is falling apart, just as it is now, we can be okay if we find the music. At just after 7 p.m., Jon Langford joked, "Check, check," without a microphone. Our host Sue Behrens introduced the band, mentioning how she got into the Mekons. I suppose we each have a story like that, those of us who have fallen in love with this band, a band that somehow remains unknown to the vast majority of people. As the first set began, Jon mentioned how they learned that their 1985 album Fear And Whiskey had sold well in San Francisco, Chicago and New York, and they opened the show with a song from that record, "Abernant 1984/5," about a miners' strike. The line "How much more is there left to lose" got a cheer from the audience, with Jon responding, "Yes." I've been largely avoiding the news since the horrible results of the 2024 election, but everything I hear is bad. Much has been lost, that's for certain. They followed that with "Hole In The Ground," and, as at the previous night's show, Jon asked for help on the whistling part. "Put your lips together and blow," he instructed, channeling Lauren Bacall. I'm not sure if folks did much better with the whistling than at the gallery show, but it didn't matter. We were all having a great time.

"Slightly South Of The Border"

Sally took over lead vocal duties at the beginning of "Last Weeks Of The War," that song coming from the band's Journey To The End Of The Night album. Susie delivered some beautiful work on violin, while Sally urged her to step forward, closer to the audience. Jon pointed out the album's producer, Ken Sluiter, who was in the audience. Sally then got out her kazoo for a totally fun rendition of "Slightly South Of The Border," with the line "Small stupid children" becoming "Small stupid chicken." The previous night the band had brought its "Luxury Chickens" exhibit to a gallery in Los Angeles, and at this house concert, behind the audience, was a cage with chickens (so far as I know, these chickens had not been taught to smoke). So a strange theme of sorts? With house concerts, there is always the danger of some loathsome neighbor summoning the authorities, and so Sally told the audience that if there were a noise complaint, it would be because of the kazoo. Fair enough. Jon joked about the carpet that had been placed on the ground for the band. "In Wales, they would call this posh," he said.

"A Fearful Moment"

An excellent rendition of "A Fearful Moment" followed, with Rico on lead vocals. This was only my second time seeing the band play this one, and it ended up being a highlight of the set. Sally then sang "Millionaire," the audience singing along. I'm always happy to hear this one, even if, as Jon said, it has been rendered meaningless by inflation. Sally joked about Susie being shy, at which point Jon strode out into the crowd and Sally commented, "He's not." "Last Dance" is another that got the audience singing along. "I wanted to say fall in love/I wanted to say fall in love with me." If the world made any sort of sense at all, everyone everywhere would fall in love with this band. They followed "Last Dance" with "Dickie, Chalkie And Nobby," a song whose lyrics I imagine would speak strongly to most people. "Treasure the memories when all else fails." They wrapped up the first set with a rousing rendition of "Hard To Be Human Again," with Sally first joking again that the police were going to show up because of the awful noise of the kazoo. Rico was on harmonica for this one, but the police are not bothered by that instrument. Jon and Sally moved through the crowd as they played this song. It was a great way to conclude the set, which ended at 7:51 p.m.

"Neglect"

When the band came back a half hour later, the second set started with a song that was a hit for Patsy Cline, "Sweet Dreams," with Rico on lead vocals. It's a song the Mekons covered on their 1986 record The Edge Of The World, and they delivered a really good rendition last night. Jon then stepped up onto a large colorful cube, leading Sally to caution him, "Don't damage yourself up there." Susie and Sally sang "Sanctuary," the only song of the night from the band's new album, Horror, and one of its best tracks. That was followed by another of the show's highlights, "Neglect," from Journey To The End Of The Night. It was particularly funny, and the audience was laughing throughout the song. "Give me ten thousand pounds, oh please." This was a total delight. "A pound of flesh," Jon commented afterward, referencing Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice. He then quickly taught the audience some of the lyrics to "Shanty," and everyone joyfully joined in. "With a Yo and a Ho, and there's one thing I know/We're not in the same boat at all/With a Yo and a Ho, and the wind starts to blow/As we float off the edge of the world." Again, these are the moments that make life worth the hassle. And those are lyrics we can all shout out with a certain exuberance, especially these days.

"My revenge will be swift and weird," Sally announced, and the great fun continued with "Big Zombie," which also comes from The Edge Of The World. "I'm just not human tonight," they sang. Well, as we know, it's hard to be human. The band had a guest vocalist, Tawny Newsome, join them for a wonderful rendition of "Wild & Blue," yet another highlight of the night. But really everyone in the back yard was singing along with this one. We were all guest vocalists, more or less. It was Jon Langford's birthday, as I mentioned, and after "Wild & Blue," he said, "I'm 37," reminding me of a particular moment from Monty Python And The Holy Grail. He then introduced "Before I Grow Too Old" by saying it's "about that urgency you feel later in life." Oh yes, I think most of us understand that feeling. He dedicated the song to Tony Fitzpatrick, an artist who inspired Jon's own work in the visual arts, and who died yesterday. The Mekons wrapped up the show with "Keep On Hoppin'," a song from Honky Tonkin' that has a great energy. The audience called out for an encore, but that didn't happen. Instead, the audience sang "Happy Birthday To You" to Jon, and that's how this magical evening came to a close just before 9 o'clock, though many people continued to hang out for a while, not ready for the night to be over.

Set List

Set I

1. Abernant 1984/5
2. Hole In The Ground
3. Last Weeks Of The War
4. Slightly South Of The Border
5. A Fearful Moment
6. Millionaire
7. Last Dance
8. Dickie, Chalkie And Nobby
9. Hard To Be Human Again

Set II

1. Sweet Dreams
2. Sanctuary
3. Neglect
4. Shanty
5. Big Zombie
6. Wild & Blue
7. Before I Grow Too Old
8. Keep On Hoppin'