Concert by the political punk band The Men They Couldn't Hang at the Leeds Irish Centre.
The Men They Couldn't Hang play the Leeds Irish Centre on Thursday 12 November, with the music starting at 7:30pm. They're the only name on the bill, so the whole night belongs to them.
If you're not familiar with the name, they've been around since 1984, when they formed to play an alternative music festival in Camden Town alongside the Pogues and the Boot Hill Foot-Tappers. The original line-up brought together Paul Simmonds and brothers Philip 'Swill' and Jon Odgers, who'd come from the Southampton pop-punk band Catch 22, and Stefan Cush, a Pogues roadie they'd met while busking in Shepherds Bush. Shanne Bradley joined on bass and flute, and that was the group that got them off the ground.
They were an early favourite of John Peel, and their first single—a cover of Eric Bogle's 'Green Fields of France'—became a hit on the UK indie charts and a regular in Peel's festive 50. Their debut album, Night of a Thousand Candles, followed in 1985, with the singles 'Ironmasters' and 'Greenback Dollar'. They signed to MCA the next year and recorded How Green Is the Valley, produced by Mick Glossop, which gave them 'Gold Rush', 'Shirt of Blue' and 'Ghosts of Cable Street'. By 1988, with Waiting for Bonaparte, they were gaining recognition across Europe for their political commentary and their raucous live shows.
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It's a long run of records behind them, and they're still playing. The gig is at the Leeds Irish Centre on York Road, LS9 9NT, on Thursday 12 November, starting at 7:30pm. Tickets are £22, which includes a £2 booking fee.
