the Mekons

the Mekons, British rock group that exemplified punk rock’s do-it-yourself ethos. Principal members were Jon Langford (b. October 11, 1957, Newport, Gwent [now in Newport], Wales), Tom Greenhalgh (b. November 4, 1956, Stockholm, Sweden), Sally Timms (b. November 29, 1959, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England), Susie Honeyman, Steve Goulding, Sarah Corina, Lu Edmonds, and Rico Bell (byname of Erik Bellis).

Founded in Leeds in 1977 by art students Langford and Greenhalgh and part of the scene that gave rise to the Gang of Four, the Mekons were amateurs even by punk rock standards, as evidenced by the uneven quality of their first albums. More important than their musical ability, however, was the egalitarian philosophy that the band espoused. Virtually anyone with an interest was allowed to play with the Mekons. With a lineup that sometimes swelled to more than a dozen members around the nucleus of guitarist-vocalists Langford and Greenhalgh, the Mekons became, almost despite themselves, more musically sophisticated, exploring a variety of genres—most importantly, country music. Benefiting from the contributions of vocalist Timms and violinist Honeyman, the Mekons produced such critically acclaimed albums as Fear and Whiskey (1985), The Mekons Rock’n’Roll (1989), Curse of the Mekons (1991), and I Love Mekons (1993), featuring songs informed by leftist political sentiments and laced with sardonic humour. The Mekons (some of whom relocated to the United States) continued to record and perform into the 21st century, making them one of the last original punk bands to remain active. Among their significant later releases were OOOH! (Out of Our Heads) (2002), Natural (2007), Ancient & Modern (2011), and Existentialism (2017), the last of which captures a live experimental performance in Brooklyn featuring just-written politically charged songs.

Several of the group’s members also recorded and performed independently, most notably Langford (primarily on his own and as part of the Waco Brothers), Timms, and Bell. Both Langford and Bell (as Erik Bellis) also exhibited their paintings, and the group mounted collective art exhibitions both in the United States and in Britain. In 1996 they collaborated with author Kathy Acker on Pussy, King of the Pirates, a performance art piece. The Mekons are the subject of filmmaker Joe Angio’s 2013 documentary Revenge of the Mekons.