Mesh

Mesh are a UK electronic band from Bristol, active since 1991. The group consists of Mark Hockings, Richard Silverthorn and Neil Taylor, who is part of the act from its formation until 2005. Their sound sits between synth-pop, EBM and related electronic styles, and they describe it as “electro rock”.

Career

The band first gains wider attention after Future Music releases its first three demo songs on a compilation. They then set up their own label, Tolerance Records, as a response to their dislike of major label business. On Tolerance, they release their first EP, Fragile, in 1993, before the record is reissued after they sign to Memento Materia.

Mesh follow Fragile with In This Place Forever, which includes the single “You Didn’t Want Me”. In 1999, they release The Point At Which It Falls Apart, an album that the band’s own notes describe as a major step forward in their work.

In 2000, Mesh sign a distribution deal with Metropolis Records in an attempt to reach the US market, though that arrangement does not last. They later move to Columbia, a Sony label, for the release of Who Watches Over Me? in 2002. After leaving Columbia, they sign to the German label Königskinder in 2006.

Later releases

We Collide appears in 2006 and receives positive attention in Europe, with strong chart results in Germany. The following year, the band issues the DVD The World’s a Big Place, which combines live material and interviews from the We Collide tour.

In 2009, Mesh release their tenth album, A Perfect Solution, followed by the single “Only Better” and then “How Long”. The album leans toward a grittier synth-rock sound than earlier records. Two years later they release An Alternative Solution, a remix collection of tracks from A Perfect Solution featuring versions by acts including Zeromancer and Assemblage 23.

Style and label work

Mesh’s music is usually placed around synth-pop, EBM and electronic music, and their own preferred description is “electro rock”. Their formation of Tolerance Records is a notable part of their history, reflecting their wish to control their releases outside the major-label system.