The Mob (British anarcho-punk band)

The Mob are an English anarcho-punk band, formed in Yeovil, Somerset in the late 1970s. The band's initial line-up consisted of Mark Wilson (vocals, guitar), Curtis Youé (bass guitar) and Graham Fallows (drums). Later drummers included Adie Tompkins, Tim Hutton and Joseph Porter. The group produced a fanzine titled All the Madmen from 1978 onwards, named after a track by that title on David Bowie's 1970 album The Man Who Sold The World. The Mob's first two singles "Crying Again" and "Witch Hunt" were released on the group's own label All the Madmen Records in 1980. Mark Wilson and Curtis Youé relocated to London in 1981 and continued the group there. The third single "No Doves Here" was released on Crass Records in 1982. The band's only album Let the Tribe Increase was released on All The Madmen in 1983. Profits from the LP were ploughed back into the label, co-organised by members of the collective that published the Kill Your Pet Puppy zine. In late 1983 the group disbanded. The Mob reunited in 2011 with the band’s original line-up. Wilson had heard of a surprise party planned for his upcoming birthday that was to feature a The Mob cover band and decided he would rather perform himself. The original members of the band agreed to join him. Prior to this reunion Wilson stated that he had not touched a guitar in 20 years. The first gig for the reformed group was on 8 April 2011 at The Fleece in Bristol and later in the year, The Levellers' Beautiful Days Festival in Devon on 20 August. North American shows followed in October 2012, and various European gigs in 2012/13. Their first new release in almost 30 years was the single Rise Up! in August 2013. Further North American/European dates followed in 2014/15. After gigs around the UK the band played in various countries across Europe. A tour of the US and Canada followed in 2012 which included headlining the 'Chaos in Tejas' festival in Austin, Texas. Penny Rimbaud of Crass has described "No Doves Fly Here" as "one of the most beautiful singles of the punk era" and the song was referred to in a retrospective on anarcho-punk in The Quietus as "as close to a magnum opus as the genre ever achieved." Pattison, Louis (June 2016). "The Primer: Anarcho Punk". The Wire (388): 33. Glasper, Ian (2014). The Day The Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980–1984. PM Press. pp. 209–216. ISBN 9781604869880. "HISTORY OF ALL THE MADMEN RECORDS - 1978 - 1986". Bristol Archive Records. Retrieved 21 September 2025. Low, Chris. "The Strange World Of… Crass Records". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 September 2025. "Beautiful Days 2011 Lineup". Beautifuldays.org. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2013. "The Mob Live in Oakland (Review Oct' 2012)". Punknews.org. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2013. "Discogs - The Mob: Rise Up!/There's Nothing You've Got I Want". Discogs.com. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2019. "The Mob: Rise Up! / There's Nothing You've Got I Want – single review". Louderthanwar.com. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013. "The Mob touring the US 2015". Louderthanwar.com. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2016. "UK anarcho-punk pioneers The Mob touring the US before Damaged City Fest (dates)". Brooklynvegan.com. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2020. "Chaos in Tejas". Rolling Stone. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2020. The Mob discography at Discogs