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 | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Leeds, England |
| Genres | Post-punk, indie rock |
| Years active | 1981–1990, 2012–2017 |
| Labels | CNT, Abstract, T.I.M., Caroline Records, ROIR, Low Noise, Tupelo Recording Company |
| Past members | Jon Langford John Hyatt Phillip "John" Brennan |
History
editThe 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]
Vocalist John Hyatt died after a long battle with neck and head cancer on 4 December 2023.[7]
Discography
editChart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart.[8]
Studio albums
edit- 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
edit- "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
edit- Live in Chicago (1987, Last Time Round Records)
Compilation albums
edit- (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
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Larkin, Colin (1992) "The Guinness Who's Who of Indie & New Wave Music", Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0-85112-579-4, p. 288/9
- ^ "Jobs for a Change 1985 London Line-up, Photos & Videos Jul 1985 – Songkick". Songkick.com. 7 July 1985. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ The Three Johns at the BBC's Keeping It Peel site
- ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, ISBN 0-86241-913-1
- ^ The Three Johns - unofficial website, Threejohns.co.uk
- ^ "Three Johns - Past concerts". Songkick. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ "John Hyatt (The Three Johns) RIP". Louder Than War. 9 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1997) "Indie Hits 1980-1989", Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4