A Day Of Mekons Is A Great Day

"Last Dance" at Wild Honey Amphitheatre

I was sent a DVD copy of the documentary Revenge Of The Mekons in 2015, having somehow not heard the band until then. The movie made me an instant fan, and since then I’ve been trying to collect the band’s complete body of work on CD and/or vinyl. Not an easy feat, especially when you take into account all the other projects of Jon Langford, the albums from which I also want in my collection. His new band, Jon Langford & The Bright Shiners, is celebrating the release of its debut album, Where It Really Starts, with a little tour of southern California before moving on to the east coast. And this tour has included some unusual gigs, including a house concert/pool party out in Palm Springs (which I missed) and a show at the Wild Honey Foundation Backyard Amphitheatre (which I saw). For those unaware of the Wild Honey Foundation, it’s an organization that raises money to help children with autism, and also puts on some phenomenal concerts. In 2022, Jon Langford and Sally Timms performed there, delivering a wonderful set in that back yard that has been converted into a hundred-seat amphitheater. And Sally Timms was a special guest at yesterday’s show there, which was the first of two Mekons-related shows yesterday afternoon, this one scheduled to start at 2. I got there early, as I generally do, and caught the soundcheck, which included “Awake The Land Of The Shadows,” “Wild & Blue,” “Sad Milkman” and “Slightly South Of The Border.”

"Awake The Land Of The Shadows"

At 2:27 p.m., Jon Langford & The Bright Shiners took the stage. The band, by the way, includes Jon Langford on vocals and guitar, Alice Spencer on vocals and Mellotron, John Szymanski on guitar and backing vocals, and Tamineh Gueramy on violin and backing vocals. Although Tamineh didn’t take the stage right away. “Good afternoon,” Jon Langford said to the crowd. “We’re missing one. I hear her. She cometh. In the distance, I hear her.” And as Tamineh stepped onto the stage, she received applause from the crowd. A playful start, the band and the audience immediately feeling connected, which is certainly an important element of any Mekons-related gig. The band kicked off the first set with “Awake The Land Of The Shadows,” a song from Where It Really Starts. The song had a good vibe. This first set focused on that new album, and the band followed “Awake The Land Of The Shadows” with “For The Queen Of Hearts” and then “Discarded” and then “Old Lost Dog,” all songs from Where It Really Starts. In introducing “Discarded,” Jon joked about The Mekons only writing songs about failed sexual relationships and drinking, and that this song was about industrial disputes, failed sexual relationships and drinking. “Oh, you’ll like this one,” Jon said before they went into “Old Lost Dog.” “This is a weird one.” There was a good punk energy to the guitar work on “Old Lost Dog.” And the repeated final line had a haunting vibe, with all four band members singing.

"Tell Me Your Story"

And though this debut album is new, the band has an even newer song, which they treated us to yesterday. Titled “Do What You Will With Me,” it had kind of a sweeter vibe, particularly in the violin work, and ended up being one of my personal favorites of the set. “All the books I don’t read, all the bottles I don’t drink.” That was followed with another sort of new song, “Only Demons Should Apply,” which was written during the pandemic. The band then went back to the album for the final two songs of the set, “Seahouses” and “Tell Me Your Story.” From “Seahouses,” a line that stood out to me was “A day is gone, all the days are gone.” Jon introduced “Tell Me Your Story” as “a children’s song for adults,” mentioning that it was based on a haiku written by a friend. This song had a playful, delightful vibe. The set ended at 2:57 p.m., and Jon joked that they’d be back in three, maybe four drinks’ time.

"On A Scale Of One To Nine"

At 3:17 p.m. (fast drinker), the band was back on stage, and Jon let the crowd know there were “three songs ‘til Timms.” Well, let the crowd know, and perhaps more importantly, let Sally Timms know. The second set opened with “On A Scale Of One To Nine,” another song from Where It Really Starts. Jon encouraged the audience to sing along, with this song or with any of the band’s songs, pointing out that he didn’t care if we sang the right words. I don’t know if folks were singing along or not, but the song was an enjoyable number to start the set, with a good energy. “Two songs ‘til Timms,” Jon said afterward, and the band went into “Hey! Rockstar,” a song from the series of singles that Jon put out during the pandemic (though this one was written before the pandemic). Yes, more records I need to add to my collection. There was even more energy to this song. The band was rocking it. That was followed by “The Emperor’s Fiddle,” from Where It Really Starts. As the band finished that one, Jon announced, “No songs ‘til Sally Timms.”

"Last Dance"

“Sally and I have been trapped in a band called The Mekons,” Jon said once Sally had joined him on stage. “I think they know,” Sally told him. They played “Wild & Blue,” a song the Mekons included on The Curse Of The Mekons. It was also a song that Jon and Sally played at their 2022 Wild Honey show, and one I am always happy to hear. Something about this song always raises my spirits. They followed that with a wonderful rendition of “Last Dance,” from the great Fear And Whiskey album. “I wanted to say fall in love with me.” They then covered The Handsome Family’s “The Sad Milkman,” with Sally on lead vocals. It was a beautiful rendition, and at the end of it, Sally’s phone went off. An alert reminding her to check in for her flight the next day. So she stepped away for a bit, and the others carried on without her, going into “Drone Operator,” a song that was released on a single by Jon Langford & Skull Orchard (yet another record I need to add to my collection). It was a powerful, rather dark number, with the lines “It didn’t look like a wedding/It really wasn’t my call/And when it all was over/We went to a bar, drank beer and watched basketball” were particularly striking. They followed that with “Streets Of Your Town,” a song by The Go-Betweens. After that, a guy’s phone went off, and Jon asked him, “Is that Sally Timms calling you?” What was also kind of remarkable is that John Szymanski recognized the song the guy had chosen as his ringtone, though he’d only heard like two seconds of it, and then began to play it. The last of the songs the band chose from Where It Really Starts was “I Have A Wish.” And then Sally Timms returned to the stage for “Slightly South Of The Border,” from the Mekons’ The Edge Of The World. For this one, she played kazoo. That led straight into “Memphis Egypt” to close out the set and the show. There was no encore. The show ended at 4:03 p.m. But before it ended, they made one absolutely wonderful announcement: The Mekons will be touring the United States in July of 2025! That’s right, the full band. I’ve actually seen the full band only once, back in 2016. Somehow I missed them when they came around in 2019.

So I was in a great state of bliss as I drove from the Wild Honey show to the second show, this one at the Philosophical Research Society. Happy because of the music I’d heard, happy because of the announcement, and happy because there was more music ahead. And what a cool place for a show the Philosophical Research Society turned out to be. It had perhaps the smallest parking lot I’d ever seen, but I got there early and got a spot. There was also a book shop across from the auditorium, and since I had a bit of time before the second show, I checked it out. The focus, as you’d expect, is philosophy books, but there were other things in there, including a fairly interesting collection of records. I thought about purchasing an old LP by The Bobs, the one where they cover “Helter Skelter,” but ended up buying an edition of The First Part Of King Henry The Fourth that I hadn’t seen before. Only two dollars. How could I pass it up? The auditorium itself was nice, with artwork on the walls. There was one painting that I kept getting drawn to, depicting a group of women, one of whom has a snake coiling around her leg ready to strike. It was the different facial expressions of the women that got my interest. During the soundcheck it was decided the band would basically go unmiked. The room was perfect for that sort of thing. Though this show was billed as a Jon Langford and Sally Timms show, The Bright Shiners were also going to do a short set.

"Slightly South Of The Border"

At 6:04 p.m., the house lights dimmed, and a series of trailers played, including one for Robot Monster, which is going to be shown there in 3D. Dennis Bartok then introduced Jon Langford and Sally Timms, first mentioning that the Mekons are his favorite band. John Szymanski joined them on guitar for a short set of Mekons songs, beginning with “Abernant 1984/5” and followed by “Millionaire,” that one with Sally on the one microphone set up downstage center. That was followed by “Slightly South Of The Border.” Responding to the enthusiastic applause, Jon said, “You’re too kind.” They then played “Ghosts Of American Astronauts,” which they introduced as being about how the moon landing didn’t happen, and wrapped up the set with “Hard To Be Human Again,” with Sally on kazoo. So much fun packed into such a short set.

Dennis Bartok moderated the Q&A with Jon and Sally. They talked about their changing attitudes toward country music, with Jon mentioning that the first song he tried to play as a kid was “Folsom Prison Blues.” Jon also mentioned how punk had been out to destroy the barrier between performer and audience, and that he found that certain country artists were doing that quite well. And I learned of yet another record I need to find, that being the one that Sally Timms and Pete Shelley recorded together. I also need a house to store all these records. They told some funny anecdotes about the beginning of the Mekons, and about Dick Taylor, and also mused about the band’s longevity. Part of it was being adaptive, they said, and it was important that no one was really trying to make money. “There’s a joyous element to the shows,” Sally said. Indeed! Toward the end, they took some questions from the audience. And at some point, they let it be known that a new Mekons album is on the horizon. More great news! A new album and a tour means 2025 is shaping up to a phenomenal year.

"Awake The Land Of The Shadows"

After the Q&A, the chairs were removed from the stage, and Jon Langford & The Bright Shiners took over. Jon mentioned an upcoming election in England, and in so doing, sort of quoted Mercutio from Romeo And Juliet, calling for a curse on both their houses. That was the introduction to “Awake The Land Of The Shadows.” That song was followed by “Discarded.” One line from that song that stood out for me was, “And now I have come to suspect there is no justice anywhere,” that line sung by Alice Spencer. They followed that with the new song, “Do What You Will With Me.” Though I haven’t yet even had a chance to listen to my vinyl copy of the debut record, I am looking forward to the next one, for this is one of the band’s best songs. “Seahouses” and “On A Scale Of One To Nine” followed, and then Sally Timms returned to the stage for a few more Mekons songs, starting with the always appreciated “Wild & Blue.” Before “Last Dance,” Sally told the audience, “You have to come out and see Robot Monster.” And she lamented the fact that she was going to miss it. “Last Dance” led straight into “Memphis Egypt” to wrap up an absolutely fantastic day of music. The show ended at 7:46 p.m.

Set Lists

Wild Honey Foundation Backyard Amphitheatre

Set I

1. Awake The Land Of The Shadows
2. For The Queen Of Hearts
3. Discarded
4. Old Lost Dog
5. Do What You Will With Me
6. Only Demons Should Apply
7. Seahouses
8. Tell Me Your Story

Set II

1. On A Scale Of One To Nine
2. Hey! Rockstar
3. The Emperor’s Fiddle
4. Wild & Blue
5. Last Dance
6. Sad Milkman
7. Drone Operator
8. Streets Of Your Town
9. I Have A Wish
   
10. Slightly South Of The Border >
11. Memphis Egypt

Philosophical Research Society

Set I

1. Abernant 1984/5
2. Millionaire
3. Slightly South Of The Border
4. Ghosts Of American Astronauts
5. Hard To Be Human Again

Set II

1. Awake The Land Of The Shadows
2. Discarded
3. Do What You Will With Me
4. Seahouses
5. On A Scale Of One To Nine
6. Wild & Blue
7. Last Dance >
8. Memphis Egypt

Here are some more photos from the day:

"Discarded"

 

"The Sad Milkman"

"Slightly South Of The Border"

"Abernant 1984/5"

"Abernant 1984/5"

"Slightly South Of The Border"

"Memphis Egypt"