The Mekano Set

 

Four years after what should have been their farewell gig, The Mekano Set return to the scene of the crime... 

Four years ago The Mekano Set announced that they were splitting up. As I have the misfortune of knowing them in person, I understandably felt a sense of near joyous relief. I remember laying on my back in the long summer grass of a dual carriage-way, laughing out loud. I was so happy I stopped taking my medication. 

The Meks (or The Mess as I preferred to call them) had been writing, recording and gigging as much as humanly possible for about twelve months. Prior to that, they were essentially a gang of people who liked noisy music and a lot of booze). Lacking the funds to socialize, they would meet once a week at (early Mek DJ) Andy’s flat to get drunk and improvise. Songs were assembled from location sounds, sound effects CD’s, Milk’s beats and foghorn-like voice. 

They refused to do the same song twice, they did not want to record any material, and had nothing resembling a conventional song. 

Despite all this, they made their live debut when they were invited to play at a squat party in South London. They played for eight hours. Eventually, people started to dance. Present at this party were future Mekanoids Lee Christien and Justine Kay. After that, The Meks decided to take themselves seriously. Far too seriously. 

Revolving around a nucleus of distorted beats, bass-riffs, guitar noise, shouting and the excellent Post-Punk voice of Beth Rettig (a former model, bouncer, semi-pro boxer and founder of London electro-rockers Blindness), the group touted a grimy, bass-heavy groove that rock audiences hated with a vengeance. 

Over the last couple of years we’ve seen underground sounds like Grime and Dubstep enter into the public domain - and get watered down to fuck by the likes of Disney Dubstepper Skrylex. But we have yet to see a rock band take on the “rhythm and noise as melody” approach. Magazines, promoters and performers of live music still cling hopelessly to the notion that four middle class white boys with guitars = The Only Rock and Roll, conventional (1950’s) song structures... and a general reluctance to embrace anything new.

 The Meks were ever an obtuse bunch, self-indulgently chipping away at a sound that has become a mix of “fucked up guitar noise”, grimy bass riffage and overly-dense drum beats.

 So it’s now almost three years since the band’s debut album and they are back at the venue that was meant to be the site of their farewell gig. And it’s a very different band. While the songs and overall sound are clearly far more focused, much of the early confidence and humour has been lost. 

The confrontational swagger, the ever-present smirking and sarcastic asides, the barely contained energy (I always had the impression that they never found the right tempo to match whatever drugs they were on) are no longer present. Maybe that’s all for the better.

Tonight, the bass end is like a wild animal in a fight to the death with a fuzz box. It is entertaining but I’m not sure if it’s intentional or a technical glitch. Apparently, moments before the band take to the stage, the sound man disappears. He doesn’t return. 

Unannounced, Beth takes to the stage and they start into an early song [Reel to Real] - that “Industrial DubStep with guitars” track they used to do at pretty much every gig, and the whole thing comes together. The mess is tamed. It’s a far gentler rendition as a result, everything is just a little too quiet. And then it’s over. 

This band have been doing confusingly short sets for two years now and it’s no longer amusing. Twice I’ve seen them do just one single song and then leave the stage - and they generally go on far too early, or far too late. Given the fact that they have an album and several EP’s under their belt at this point, it’s not unreasonable to expect a 30 minute set. I accept that your average band has a tendency to play too long, but going the other way is really just as bad. 

And given that people travel from all parts of the country for Mekano gigs, why not give them their monies worth? 

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