The Three Johns

The Three Johns were an English post-punk/indie rock band formed in 1981 in Leeds, England, originally consisting of guitarist Jon Langford (co-founder of the Mekons), vocalist John Hyatt and bassist Phillip "John" Brennan, augmented by a drum machine.[1]

The Three Johns
OriginLeeds, England
GenresPost-punk, indie rock
Years active1981–1990, 2012-2017
LabelsCNT, Abstract, T.I.M., Caroline Records, ROIR, Low Noise, Tupelo Recording Company
Past membersJon Langford
John Hyatt
Phillip "John" Brennan

History

The band initially formed just before the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, and their first gig was to be part of a "Funk the Wedding" event, but they were refused permission to play because they were drunk.[1] They signed to CNT Records in 1982, which Langford jointly founded, releasing two singles and an EP for the label. A reworking of the Mekons' "English White Boy Engineer", which attacked hypocritical attitudes towards South Africa and apartheid, led to the band being labelled as left-wing rockers.[1] The band explained: "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".[1] Their left-wing leanings were further evidenced by the sleeve of their 1984 Atom Drum Bop album, which carried the words "Rock 'n' Roll Versus Thaatchiism", a reference to then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her marketing by Saatchi & Saatchi.[1] On 7 July 1985, The Three Johns played at the GLC's Jobs for a Change festival in London's Battersea Park.[2]

The band regularly appeared in the UK Indie Chart during the mid-1980s, with singles such as "A.W.O.L.", "Death of the European" (an NME "Single of the Week"), and "Brainbox (He's a Brainbox)".[1] During the band's career, the members maintained their day jobs: Langford as a graphic designer and Hyatt a teacher of fine art at Leeds Polytechnic.[1]

The band recorded six sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, and reached No. 14 in the 1985 Festive Fifty with "Death of the European".[3]

The band split up in late 1988 after a disastrous US tour, but reformed in 1990, releasing Eat Your Sons, a concept album about cannibalism, before splitting again.[1][4] Langford continued with the Mekons, later releasing a solo album, while Hyatt concentrated on his academic career.[4] They reformed again in 2012, playing five shows,[5] and continued to perform intermittently through 2017 in the UK, mostly in the Manchester and Leeds-Bradford areas.[6]

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart.[7]

Studio albums
  • Atom Drum Bop (1984, Abstract) No. 2
  • The World by Storm (1986, Abstract) No. 4
  • The Death of Everything (1988, T.I.M/Caroline Records) No. 19
  • Deathrocker Scrapbook (1988, ROIR)
  • Eat Your Sons (1990, Low Noise/Tupelo Recording Company)

Singles and EPs
  • "English White Boy Engineer" (1982, CNT)
  • "Pink Headed Bug" (1983, CNT) No. 44
  • Men Like Monkeys EP (1983, CNT)
  • A.W.O.L. EP (1983, Abstract) No. 14
  • Some History EP (1983, Abstract) No. 17
  • "Do the Square Thing" (1984, Abstract) No. 6
  • "Death of the European" (1985, Abstract) No. 3
  • "Brainbox (He's a Brainbox)" (1985, Abstract) No. 3
  • "Sold Down the River" (1986, Abstract) No. 10
  • "Never and Always" (1987, Abstract) No. 5
  • "Torches of Liberty" (1988, Abstract)

Live albums
  • Live in Chicago (1987, Last Time Round Records)

Compilation albums
  • (Crime Pays...Rock and Roll in the) Demonocracy - The Singles 1982-1986 (1986, Abstract)
  • The Best of The Three Johns (1996, Dojo)
  • Volume (2015, Buried Treasure)

References
  1. Larkin, Colin (1992) "The Guinness Who's Who of Indie & New Wave Music", Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0-85112-579-4, p. 288/9
  2. "Jobs for a Change 1985 London Line-up, Photos & Videos Jul 1985 – Songkick". Songkick.com. 7 July 1985. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  3. The Three Johns at the BBC's Keeping It Peel site
  4. Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, ISBN 0-86241-913-1
  5. The Three Johns - unofficial website, Threejohns.co.uk
  6. "Three Johns - Past concerts". Songkick. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  7. Lazell, Barry (1997) "Indie Hits 1980-1989", Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4
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