Modern English, the British post-punk quartet behind the ubiquitous ’80s hit “I Melt with You” are playing Atlanta for the first time ever tonight, and curiously, only performing their 1981 debut record, Mesh & Lace (4AD). For those more familiar with their later material and radio singles, this is a record seemingly borne out of a different world. It is a dark, brooding album, more noise than pop, yet now in 2016 it is the LP which has revived and energized the band’s original lineup. In order to give us a better idea of what to expect at the show tonight, we posed a few questions about Mesh & Lace and the history of Modern English to bassist Mick Conroy.

Your first show in Atlanta sold out almost immediately. Have you been surprised at all by the response to your tour here in the U.S.?

Yes, when the idea of playing our first LP and early 4AD singles was first mooted, I thought that we would be playing only a handful of gigs in New York and Los Angeles, so when the tour dates came through I was a bit surprised by the amount of cities we would be playing. It’s been great meeting people who have been coming to hear our early material (and not just that one song!).

How has this tour experience been so far?

We’ve been enjoying it immensely, from the first gig in Seattle we could see that the audience were there to hear our early music… Plus we get to go to so many amazing places – like Atlanta!

What inspired you to tour specifically for Mesh & Lace?

Forbidden Colors are an agency out of Portland who organized tours with the Chameleons and Sad Lovers & Giants. Both band are in a similar vein to early Modern English. They approached us a couple of years ago with the idea. As I said earlier, we were a bit surprised by the request, but it has been good playing the old songs. I never thought that this would ever happen.

Mesh & Lace is a brooding, dark album, from the very first track. Was this dark edge borne out of your personal experiences as a band or from what was happening in the world and England in 1981?

England then was a gloomy place. In the cities it took at least 3 weeks to get a telephone connected. In addition, there was a very long miners strike and Thatcher had just come to power. The memories of the Three-Day Week and national power cuts were still very present. We lived in a squat in west London where we wrote most of Mesh & Lace. We were very young, and I remember at this time the talk in the papers and on the news was often about an impending nuclear war (that sounds rather histrionic now).

The popular perception of Modern English has revolved around your pop sensibilities. Were there any specific bands who inspired your effort to combine pop hooks with artsy, edgier music?

We all loved David Bowie and Roxy Music, amongst others. Then punk came along with bands like the Clash and the Sex Pistols… then a group called Wire released their first LP, Pink Flag, as well as the first Buzzcocks LP. They were more thoughtful in their songwriting, plus we were becoming better musicians ourselves. When we started we couldn’t really play our instruments well at all. People who liked new music would listen to the BBC DJ John Peel, of course. He would always play the latest releases by bands from up and down the country: Gang of Four and the Mekons from Leeds, the Slits, and Joy Division, amongst many others.

What’s next for the band? You’ve teased a new album, can you give any info about it?

Yes, we have just finished a new LP. It’s with four of the original members. When we re-grouped the intention was always to make new music. I have a recording studio, so we were able to get the songs as close to how we want them as possible. Admittedly it’s taken a few years longer to finish than we anticipated! The album is produced by our old friend Martyn Young. He had his own group on 4AD called Colourbox. We started a campaign with PledgeMusic.com and the response was very positive. The artwork is being made by Vaughan Oliver; anyone who knows 4AD will know and love his work.

Modern English plays two shows tonight the Earl with support from Entertainment (Athens). The late show is sold out, but some tickets remain for the early show. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $15.

More Info
Web: modernenglish.me
Facebook: @m0dernenglish
Twitter: @m0dernenglish