“You will be sufficiently caught up in the essential absurdity of violence, any violence, to look at it in a new light.” —Chicago Sun-Times

Best known as the front man for the Mekons, Jon Langford has created a mordantly beautiful performance work—The Executioner’s Last Songs—that is a compelling collection of tales and songs on the themes of murder, mob law, and cruel, cruel punishment. Langford takes us on a twisting and witty autobiographical ride that looks unflinchingly at the promises of life and the penalty of death. The performance combines live music, spoken word, his own visual art, and recordings of American roots music. One of the most resilient pop-punk bandleaders to emerge from Britain in the 1970s, Langford has since become a leading force in alt-country music with the Waco Brothers, the Pine Valley Cosmonauts, and others. Here he is joined by Sally Timms (Mekons), bassist Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu), violinist Jean Cook, and drummer Dan Massey.