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Belladrum Fringe Medicine Show
14 August, 2014 @ 7:30 pm
£12
After headlining alongside Tom Jones at Belladrum Festival, The Mekons and Robbie Fulks are heading to play on Skye at Aros.
Mekons formed in Leeds, England 34 years ago in 1977 and Ancient & Modern is their 26th album. This current classic line-up has remained intact since the mid-1980′s. Throughout their history, they have worked collaboratively and collectively with everything credited to the band, never to individuals. Their mind-boggling output consistently blurs the lines between high art and low and has included exhibitions in the UK and US, a deranged musical recorded and staged with Kathy Acker, an art performance with Vito Acconci and several books including the unique art catalog/unfinished novel Mekons United.
Robbie Fulks: “Fulks is a gifted guitarist, a soulful singer with an expressive honky-tonk tenor, and a natural performer. But what really sets him apart is his songwriting, which is one part artful country, one part artful sendup of country, and one part a little of everything else… It’s sort of country meets David Lynch.” –New York Times
‘A thorny mix of antiquey folk, squalling punk and Weimar-era cabaret’ –Washington Post
‘Meaty and grizzled folk rock…After all these years, you still want to join them.’ –Rolling Stone
‘The Mekons see a bit of today reflected in these songs, which have implications beyond their setting. It is, ultimately and unsurprisingly, a deeply angry and contentious album, yet one that glories in the act of musical collaboration. It took a World War to bring the first Edwardian Era to a close. The Mekons sound like they’re having a blast pondering what it will take to end this second one.’ –Paste
‘The main musical thrust is a sort of exotic folk rock, mostly British in origin and supporting the usual provocative lyrical barbs, but with the flavors of every other musical spice the band has picked up in its nearly 35 years of existence… The result is one of the Mekons’ most enticing records, rewarding multiple spins and signaling a band still in the prime of its long life.’ –The Big Takeover