Jon Langford Gets His Message Across

It would have been hard for Jon Langford, on his first tour as a solo artist, to surprise the fans at Space-land on Friday. His band the Mekons has a mercurial, 20-year discography of avant-punk ramblings, offbeat country, belligerent folk and pop experiments that savagely lampoon politics, conformity, and nearly everything about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.

The members of the Leeds, England, collective have indulged their artistic muses with side projects ranging from other bands to comic strips.

So in one way, singer-guitarist Langford, backed by a bassist and a drummer, gave the small, appreciative audience exactly what you’d expect: nearly an hour of devilishly wry and righteously poignant tunes from his recent solo debut, “Skull Orchard,” in which the five-year Chicago resident focuses his expatriate’s lens on the economic and social downturns in his native Wales.

Langford also delivered the anticipated twist--a primitive pop that rocked more readily than much else he’s done. The trio melded gritty melodies and raw hooks that recalled ‘60s-era Who or Kinks with a twang that reflected Langford’s country offshoot the Waco Brothers. His brief explanations revealed empathy behind the biting whimsy in songs that wishfully installed Tom Jones as president of Wales and decried the indecency of plastic surgery. While not remotely as commercially viable as, say, the hits of self-proclaimed anarchists Chumbawamba, the songs got across similarly strong messages in a style even the uninitiated could enjoy.

The guitarist also sat in on an opening half-hour set by fellow Mekon Sally Timms, whose oddly sensual singing and minimal new-wave cabaret proved more obscure, though nearly as intriguing.