Remembering No One: The Mob

Like so many other artists formed under the framework of anarcho-punk ideals, The Mob was not long for this world.  In their time together they released only three albums and a handful of singles and EPs in four years, although, their contribution to the music world would end up being much larger thanks to the creation of their own label, All the Madmen, to self-release material.

The band, and its label, was unique in that is was one of the first to bridge the gap between the punk rebellion of the '70s and the inward self-reflection of goth in the '80s.  In an almost cynical way, as one YouTube commenter notes of their 1980 7" release, No Doves Fly Here, you could dub the transition as Punk Floyd.  The band moved beyond the stuffy confines of punk noise and expanded into claustrophobic psychedelia foreshadowing later similar works by artists like the Sisters of Mercy.

Time has not been kind to artists like The Mob.  Where many see critical reassessment, and others are just now being discovered, a band like The Mob still languishes in relative obscurity for whatever reason.  Do yourself a favor and take some time to discover an original act that linked two important eras in music.