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Last Day Deaf is excited to announce that is the Media Partner for the 5th August live appearance of post-punk legends Mekons (77-79 line-up) with support acts PILL FANGS & Vukovar that will take place at The Continental, South Meadow Lane.Preston, UK.

All three bands have been interviewed by Last Day Deaf. Honoured!

Facebook Event

Press release

MEKONS

Formed in the late 1970s as an art collective, Mekons are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk bands. The band’s musical style has evolved through the years, incorporating aspects of country and folk and, like ATV, occasional experiments with dub.

In 1977 Mekons emerged from the same group of Leeds University students that also produced Gang of Four and Delta 5, taking their name from The Mekon, an evil, super-intelligent Venusian from the Dan Dare comic strip. The band’s first release was “Never Been in a Riot”, a satirical take on The Clash’s White Riot. Next single ‘Where Were You?’ became a punk classic and has been covered many times over the years.

The loose-knit band played noisy, bare-bones post-punk releasing records on a variety of labels, including a brief stint on Virgin Records for their first album, ‘The Quality of Mercy is not Strnen’, a bastardised Shakespeare quotation, which famously included a cover showing a bemused chimpanzee in front of a typewriter.

After 1982 the band ceased activity for a while, with drummer Jon Langford forming The Three Johns. In the mid-1980s Mekons were revitalised by the political situation surrounding the 1984 miners’ strike and they returned as an active group with additional members, experimenting with different styles of roots music, English folk and American country, on albums such as ‘Fear and Whiskey’ (85), The Edge of The World (86) and Honky Tonkin (87). The pull of America became so strong that most of the band decamped to the USA in the early 90s, where they have continued to record and develop a highly devoted following.

In 2013 a film documentary, ‘Revenge of the Mekons’ was released and their most recent album, a CD/DVD/book project called ‘Existentialism’ a live album with new songs designed to look like a bootleg, came out in 2016. Also in 2016 the original Leeds line-up of Mekons, Jon Langford, Kevin Lycett, Mark White, Andy Corrigan and Tom Greenhalgh, reconvened for a special Manchester show as part of a mini-festival curated by Langford.

This line-up also recently recorded a new album earlier this year and will be appearing at Mekonville, a Mekons festival in Suffolk at the end of July 2017, which will feature sets from many of the different incarnations of the band.

We are delighted to have secured a show from the 1977/78 line-up of Mekons for The Continental, a super-rare and not to be missed opportunity to see them in Preston.

NOTE ON ALTERNATIVE TV
As many will know, this was originally to have been a double-bill including ALTERNATIVE TV. Sadly this classic act have been forced to pull out of the show due to health reasons within the band. We and ATV apologise to anyone who has bought tickets mainly to see them – refunds are available to those who want them, although obviously this means not being able to see The Mekons either. Online vendors have been contacted with the changes and will inform customers and give them the option of a refund. Otherwise, call us (01772 499 425) or Action Records (01772 884 772) if purchased from one of these sources, and you’ll be refunded if so desired.

PILL FANGS

PILL FANGS is the great new garage/Velvet Underground inspired project from Lancastrian songwriter/guitarist Dan Haywood, previously of Dan Haywood’s New Hawks, a sprawling wide-ranging folk and Americana influenced band who at times came across like a Rolling Thunder revue for the North West UK and whose first album was a huge 32 song suite double CD.

Pill Fangs is a more stripped-down back to basics vehicle for Dan’s songwriting and turns in a punchy, rocking set that will knock your socks off. Their debut album is keenly anticipated by the cognoscenti.

VUKOVAR

Vukovar may have emerged thirty years too late to take up their rightful place at the Leeds Futurama Festival, but nonetheless at the right time for their acerbic, bass-heavy post-punk to be informed by Coil, Cabaret Voltaire, Sisters of Mercy, J.G. Ballard, J.G. Thirlwell and The Coachwhips.

Resourceful and prolific, Vukovar have put out two great albums, ‘Emperor’ and ‘Voyeurism’, in the last 12 months on the Small Bear label and some more provocatively-titled releases on the way, which will be unveiled at this gig. Make sure you turn up early to see one of our favourite North-West acts. Look out for their forthcoming single on John Robb’s Louder Than War label.