The touring link between John Donaldson and Half Man Half Biscuit is one of the least likely, long lasting musical connections. It began back in the early 1990s when the recently reformed Biscuits supported the band Donaldson fronted at the time, Levellers 5, in his hometown of Darwen, Lancashire. Over the subsequent three decades, he has been a regular sight opening for HMHB under the guise of Calvin Party and now JD Meatyard. Whilst they were long time label mates and the top two selling artists at Probe Records, they do not immediately have a lot in common. They do both, though, have a heavy emphasis on lyrics but whereas HMHB writer, Nigel Blackwell, relies on comic observations, often about minor celebrities, as an oblique strategy to reveal much about modern society, JD is one of the most directly political contemporary songwriters with an unflinching style.
Whereas a HMHB album called ‘The Mission’ might involve some mockery of the 1980s goth rock band of that name, first thoughts would be that the JD Meatyard mission would involve overthrowing the established order. The ten songs on the record are divided into those that are directly political and the personal, autobiographical pieces that often pay tribute to his heroes. It begins in resolutely campaigning mood with ‘Phony Cronies’ which sees him confronting the incontestable truth that money can always be available for war but not to relieve homelessness and poverty. A line appears about “lies, lies, lies and government” which was a Calvin Party album title but with an extra ‘lies’ added, as if indicative of how the number of lies has increased over the subsequent three decades. The song races along, directed by Ken Rutherford’s guitar, a tussle between vocals and music which do not fit together smoothly but it sounds at its most menacing when there is a brief pause and JD whispers, “they can shove their money and their lies.”
Amongst the intensely personal songs, ‘One Love Forever’ sees him at his most contented and the mid-tempo musical vibe reflects that mood. That outlook is revisited on ‘Peace and A Loving OK’ which sees him coming surprisingly close to a hippy troubadour. In contrast, at the album’s centre are two raw, bleak songs: ‘I’m A Survivor’ is subdued and sees the darkness crashing with the heartbreaking utterance “I want to kill myself” but strings and Tamsin Middleton’s backing vocals add a gentleness; ‘Anna We Miss You’ is musically one of the album’s most impressive tracks, an aching ballad given additional emotional heft by piano and Dave Thom’s cello.
It transpires that the title track is a tribute to Rory Gallagher, although there are words that could clearly be describing JD (“If I don’t sing, I’ll die… music is my catharsis… the stage it ain’t for acting”) indicating that the mission is, in fact, making music as a personal imperative. Starting with atmospheric, twanging guitar, ‘Lynch Me – Why’ pays tribute to legendary filmmaker, David Lynch. Again, it demonstrates a magpie approach to lyric writing, borrowing film titles to create a new narrative – “life is never a straight story, more a lost highway.” It is also loaded with memories for those who recall the Levellers 5 era when JD was modelling an Eraserhead hairstyle.
‘The Mission’ ends up with a deeply political trio. ‘Ignorance Is…’ proves to be a straightforward castigation of those who approve of Churchill, Thatcher, Blair and Starmer. On ‘Bob Says’ with its “get up, stand up” refrain, he reclaims the original idea of Bob Marley as a revolutionary figure rather than the cosier image that has been created posthumously. It ends with the record’s most musically interesting and dynamic track, ‘Truth Tellers’ which is propelled by frenetic beats and guitar feedback hum as JD lists an array of public figures who he sees as falling into that category. It is quite a list ranging, amongst others, from Fidel Castro through Edward Said, Cat Stevens, Mike Leigh, Kneecap and Jeremy Corbyn, with a potentially devastating forward line of Maradona and Gary Lineker. As the song ends, his final words are “free Palestine, free the fucking world.”
As is typical of a JD Meatyard album, anyone listening to ‘The Mission’ will come away with a clear idea of John Donaldson’s political views, as well as his cultural heroes and what makes him tick emotionally. It is an approach that is unlikely to win any converts amongst Daily Mail readers but in its raw openness and honesty makes him a rare figure in the contemporary musical landscape.
JD Meatyard: The Mission – Out 6 February 2026
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
