10 Forgotten 80s Bands Worth Rediscovering
2. The Three Johns
Right at the start of the '80s, guitarist Jon Langford, singer John Hyatt and bassist Phillip “John” Brennan collectively formed the unimaginatively-titled Three Johns, and a year later secured themselves a record deal with CNT. Langford had previously served as co-founder of the legendary (and astonishingly long-lived) Mekons. Alongside the two other Johns and one drum machine, Langford's new outfit set about laying down some impressive and cerebral cuts.
The Three Johns resisted the tag of being a 'socialist band,' preferring to refer to themselves as 'socialists who played in a band.' That said, some of their best music certainly came with a political slant, most notably English White Boy Engineer and Atom Drum Bop (from the group's self-titled debut album).
The group secured spots with the prestigious DJ, John Peel, and toured the US (albeit disastrously) before splitting up in '88, reforming in '90 and then once again disbanding. Langford continued on with The Mekons, but his work with The Three Johns holds up very well, three decades on.