Live: The Mekons @ Mercury Lounge 8.1.9

(photo left stolen from bob berger on the mekons list)
It had been a couple of years since I had seen The Mekons. I had seen many, many Mekons shows in the past in the last fifteen years and that was well before Langford solo shows and Waco Brothers shows started to factor into the equation. It's horrible to think that I could have gotten jaded even to The Mekons. Regardless, after this show,I'm right back on the horse.

I could listen to Jon Langford talk all night long. He is undoubtably the spiritual godfather to punk rock banter masters like Patrick Costello. The band was more or less intact, save for Tom's absence and Jean Cook stepping in at the last minute to play violin. Only an hour and a half of a set, but still better than most I've heard this year. Here's a setlist, courtesy of NYCtaper. Perceptive readers might be able to find a recording of the show on the interwebs.

01 [introduction]
02 Beaten and Broken
03 Club Mekon
04 Give Me Wine or Money
05 [banter]
06 Tina
07 [banter]
08 Corporal Chalkie
09 [banter]
10 Tempted to Believe
11 Perfect Mirror
12 Fantastic Voyage
13 [banter]
14 Abernant 1984/85
15 [banter]
16 Dickie, Chalkie, and Nobby
17 Diamonds
18 Thee Olde Trip to Jerusalem
19 Cockermouth
20 Ghosts of American Astronauts
21 Heaven and Back
22 [banter]
23 Big Zombie
24 Memphis, Egypt
25 [encore break]
26 The Hole in the Elephant’s Bottom
27 The Last Dance
28 Oblivion
29 Hole in the Ground
30 [banter]
31 Powers and Horrors
32 Hard to Be Human

Chris Mills popped up towards the end of the set for Heaven and Back, Mekon-approved blood alcohol level in tow, having previously fetched the alcohol rider for the band as the set ran on. I would have liked to have seen more of him, especially in an opening slot. Megan Reilly opened instead, backed by a stellar backing band comprised of Tony Maimone, James Mastro and Mekon drummer Steve Goulding. She was (and is) good, but it's hard to go wrong with a backing band like that. Heavy hitters aside, Reilly is not the Mekons, so she could only pale in comparison. Sadly, this was the last show of the short tour, but there was talk of a new recording, so I hope we see the band back in town damn soon.

R

Live: Lucero @ Mercury Lounge 2.8.9

So Flynn let me know a couple weeks ago that the Lucero were playing Mercury. They have evidently been out with The Black "we'd be pretty average if we had a bass player" Keys for some big rooms, but decided to play an off-night at Mercury. I'm sure bar owners and tenders were dancing in the aisles at the announcement. 

It was good to see the boys back at Mercury. I hadn't planned to swing by as early as I did, but it was lucky for me, as for once the start time was as advertised. That time was 9, an awesome time given my beer consumption the night before. I got there just as Megan Reilly's crew was packing up. It was good to see James Mastro, who is always nice enough to pretend to remember me. I think Megan's alright, but christ, when you have guys from The Mekons, Gang Of Four and Mott The Hoople in your band, it's hard not to think that I should be giving her a closer look.

The show was sold out, and to a (wo)man pretty loaded from the onset. A gang of the Unified Scene kids were out, it's always good to see them. They seemed well-primed for the show and I wondered how they were going to work with the increasingly large fratboy jerk-off crowd Lucero has attracted in recent years. It's hard to fault their taste, as Lucero were as great as they often are. They were touring with their expanded six-piece line-up, featuring Todd from Glossary on steel and Rick Steff on keys, which is never a bad thing. What did get a little old was the random shove-fest that is what passes for a pit these days. That said, let me make sure my contempt for the idea that one would even contemplate such a thing at a Lucero show is voiced openly. Hey kids, why not dance? Of course, the fact that douche bags were throwing beer for a good part of the set might have caused me to mistake the tenor of the scene, but I was pretty close to the fray and it was pretty stupid from where I was.  

Oh yeah, Lucero played, too. Man, they really are a great band, and with the DBT precedent having been set, a fine candidate for a Hold Steady touring partner, if you don't mind my saying. We got a pretty good cross-section of songs. No Little Silver Heart or Sweet Little Thing, but Barbed Wire Fence and Little Brother made respectable appearances along with a couple new tunes and a real pretty cover of Colorado Girl. Ben mentioned that the small room made the show more of a party and it was one I wouldn't have wanted to clear up after. They played a solid two hours, and Ben wasn't over the drunk line where things go to shit in Lucero World, so I'll call it pretty fucking aces, save for the random acts of douchebaggery.

If I may pick another bone, I will admit to having never been a young Suicide Girl, five whiskeys in and desired by every drunk frat boy and beardo within eyeshot, but if I was, I'd exercise a degree of modesty and stay off the most strapping of the crowd's shoulders when you're at the fucking Mercury. Ditto for the crowd riding. We get it: you're hot and yes, most of us (guys, at least) would like to have sex with you, but I think we all know you're not going to, so calm down before you attract the right Mr. Wrong and really get yourself in trouble. You can get yourself just as noticed on the floor if you try real hard. And you won't be blocking my fucking view.

Lucero are back in town 4/18 at Music Hall Of Williamsburg. Bring a raincoat and your patience, this Memphis Mafia will be their usual good time. The new record is still coming together, a matter no doubt wrapped up in their new major-label release schedule. In the interim, keep up on with goings-on in the Lucero camp here.