Bowie compared us to T Rex. Couldn't get any better': the Mekons on how they made Where Were You?

Most founders of Mekons and Gang of Four came from the same fine art course at Leeds University. In late 1976, an Anarchy tour show at a nearby polytechnic inspired the belief that performing could be possible. Jon King and Andy Gill began Gang of Four, rehearsing at the university film society and using their equipment during breaks. Early gigs lacked a rhythm section, leading Andy to play drums. Bob Last from Fast Product pushed for recording, resulting in a first single made on a two-track living-room setup and a second single recorded at Spaceward in Cambridge. Where Were You? was assembled rapidly, gained strong sales, and received heavy John Peel radio play. David Bowie later compared the band to Marc Bolan, boosting recognition and longevity.

"Most of the people who started the Mekons and Gang of Four were on the same fine art course at Leeds University. In December 1976 we went to see the Anarchy tour at the nearby polytechnic. I liked the Sex Pistols but the Clash, in their paint-spattered clothes, sounded particularly great. It was the first time I saw a band and thought: That could be me up there."

"Soon afterwards, Jon King and Andy Gill started Gang of Four, rehearsing at the university's film society, and whenever they took a break, we started messing around on their equipment. At our first gig well, half a gig really we didn't have a rhythm section so Andy played drums. Then after one and a half gigs Bob Last from the Fast Product label said he wanted to do something with us."

"We recorded our first single, Never Been in a Riot, on a two-track tape recorder in a living room, but for Where Were You? Bob put us in Spaceward in Cambridge, a proper studio getting a reputation for recording unconventional stuff. Where Were You? came together very quickly in rehearsal. Kevin Lycett strummed two chords, I played the choppy counter-melody and Jon came in on drums."

"John Peel played it a lot and it sold more than 27,000 copies straight away. It was a huge amount for an independent label, but we certainly didn't think we were at the forefront of postpunk DIY culture, or that we'd be playing the song live almost 50 years later. It started to become kind of a classic after David Bowie played it on a Radio 1 programme called Star Special and compared us to the young Marc Bolan."

Read at www.theguardian.com