Review: The Mekons, The Exchange

The Mekons are a band that’s style has changed more times than their line-up. Widely considered to be one of the driving forces in the punk and post-punk scenes in the late 70’s and early 80’s, the band has never been afraid of change and experimentation. Debut singles from back in 1978 Never Been in a Riot and Where Were You carry the unmistakable sound and lyrical sense of humour that characterises late 70’s British punk music.

From those first punk releases, the band began experimenting with traditional English and American folk and country styles, with a number of new faces and instruments entering the band in the mid-eighties. As the years went on the band dabbled in different combinations of punk, country, alternative rock and even dub. During this time, the makeup of the band changed significantly many times, with the original six members all remaining active in music and art but never playing together as The Mekons.

So it is very much worth noting that this short three date tour is the first time that the original line-up has taken to the stage together for over 30 years.

Bristol is the final show on a tour that has taken the band to iconic punk venue, The 100 Club, in London and the Con Club in Lewes. Tonight they grace The Exchange, Bristol’s newest and leading punk and hardcore venue.

A lot of press is given to the problems faced by larger nightclubs in the face of tough licensing and flashy redevelopments, but the small live music venue that opens its doors at seven and closes them again before midnight is equally under threat. Bristol has already lost many of these venues and London has long since lost many of the iconic venues that played host to the beginnings of punk and alternative music in the 70’s and 80’s. “Punks not dead!” shouts a punter as the band take their positions, punk is not dead and there’s easily enough reason for its message now than there was 40 years ago.

The Mekons start the show with 32 weeks, the B-Side to Never Been In A Riot. This sounds like a strange choice, but it is exactly the type of angry punk anthem needed to kick start a night like this and the response is excellent.

“This is a new song so now’s the time to go to the loo” frontman John Langford tells the crowd before starting on a currently unreleased track. His charisma and sense of humour come to characterise this performance and as the show progress the original line-ups chemistry and understanding make this band a joy to watch. In fact, it feels more like a few mates having a jam when compared to the melancholy and seriousness of some more recent punk groups.

The band then continue on a run of old classics such as Rosanne and Fight The Cuts (written in 1977 but could just as well have been in 2017) on a run up to Never Been In A Riot, which comes mid-way through the set and is closely followed by the melancholy but beautifully composed Lonely And Wet. There is smattering of new material throughout the show but the majority of the songs played are the singles composed by the original line-up in the 70’s and songs from their debut album, 1979’s The Quality of Mercy is Always Strnen.

The band are a treat to watch; John never stops dancing and governs the stage with experience. The band are all multi-instrumentalists and they swap positions multiple times throughout the show with drummer Steve Goulding, guitarist Tom Greenhalgh and fellow Mekons founder Kevin Lycett all taking turns with the microphone.

The audience mainly consist of an older and more punk-orientated crowd so the committal to the older material seems to be the right choice. As the band leaves the stage to much applause, several people start shouting “where were you?… where were you!?” they don’t wait long to have their answer as the band retook to the stage for their encore which consisted of the aforementioned single and a rendition of the Gang of Four’s anthem Elevator.

That night the Mekons reminded us what playing music is about. Despite playing aggressive and melancholy songs about the hardships of life that I am sure must have been inspired by dark times and experiences, it was a real pleasure to see a band enjoy playing together this much because that is the reason why we as music fans go to see bands in the first place.