"some history"Year: 1983
Country: UK
City: Leeds
Label: Abstract
Format: CD , LP
Tracks: 12
Time: 33 min.
Lyrical themes: anarchism , pacifism
Genre: rock
Style: Post Punk
This Leeds, Yorkshire pop punk band, formed on Royal Wedding Day in
1981, set themselves a characteristic precedent by being refused
permission to play a "Funk The Wedding" gig because they were drunk. The
line-up featured John Brennan (ex-25 Rifles; bass), John Langford
(ex-Mekons; guitar) and John Hyatt (ex-Sheeny And The Goys, Another
Colour; vocals). They met in Leeds while they were at college, although
individually they are from Wales, Belfast and Wolverhampton. A drum
machine was used in preference to an extra member, although, ironically,
all three musicians were competent percussionists. They signed to CNT
Records in 1982 and released two singles, one of which, "English White
Boy Engineer", was a reworking of an old Mekons number. The lyrical
focus of the song attacked hypocritical attitudes towards South Africa
and apartheid, and the group were quickly designated as left-wing
rockers, albeit heavy drinking ones: "We all have socialist convictions
and obviously that comes through... but we're not a socialist band.
We're a group of socialists who are in a band. It's a fine distinction
but an important one". They quickly made their reputation via frenetic
and comic live shows, even performing a version of Madonna's "Like A
Virgin". A legacy of fine singles populated the independent charts,
including "Pink Headed Bug", "Men Like Monkeys" and "Do The Square
Thing'. 1985"s "Death Of A European" was a New Musical Express Single Of
The Week, although by misfortune it emerged in the aftermath of the
Heysel football tragedy and hence achieved no airplay. Unfortunately,
there was insufficient success to allow the band to give up their day
jobs. Langford earned his living as a part-time graphic designer for the
Health Education Service, and Hyatt (who designed the band's covers)
was a teacher of Fine Art at Leeds Polytechnic. Their debut album, Atom
Drum Bop, bore the legend "Rock 'n' Roll versus Thatcherism', and
included contributions from schoolgirl Kate Morath on oboe. They worked
with Adrian Sherwood on 1987's Never And Always, while 1988"s The Death
Of Everything And More was summed up by one critic as "messy, snappy,
guttural". After that came a long break in their musical endeavours: "We
basically stopped working after our last gig in December 1988. We'd
done a US tour which was a total disaster and we didn't speak to each
other after that, we were all too busy having babies and things". Hyatt
produced an art exhibition at Liverpool's Tate Gallery, and Langford
continued to work with the Mekons. They returned with Eat Your Sons in
1990, a concept album dealing with, of all things, cannibalism.
