THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN — NEWCASTLE, UK.
The Jesus and Mary Chain at the NX, Newcastle, UK.
With support from Alex Spencer!
The Jesus And Mary Chain embarked on a UK tour, hitting various locations with a mix of fuzz, feedback, and nostalgia on their 40-year celebratory tour. Being in the game for over four decades is a feat for any band. Still, the reignited collaboration of brothers Jim and William Reid is evidently strong following the acclaimed release 'Glasgow Eyes' earlier in the year. It is certainly something to celebrate - the band maintains the noise-rock sound that built their acclaim.
On the third date of the December run of shows, the Scottish alternative rockers hit Newcastle's NX with support from Brighton three-piece, CIEL. Providing a delicate blend of dream-pop influence, grunge and garage rock elements, and mesmerisingly melodic vocals, they were the perfect support band to warm up the crowd.
Playing a mix of new and established tracks, the three-piece, comprised of guitarist Ruby Taylor, drummer Tim Spencer, and vocalist Michelle Hindriks, had the entirety of the 2,000-capacity room enraptured. From the intense, insistent drumming of Spencer that reverberated from every surface to the powerful and jaw-droppingly effortless playing of Taylor, each layer of CIEL was intricately interwoven, with Hindriks beautifully haunting vocals providing the final hypnotising blow. If CIEL is not already on your radar for the new year, they certainly should be.
Then, through a sea of dry ice, The Jesus and Mary Chain finally entered a suitably hazy room. Unlike other acts, there was very little communication between the act and the crowd, but after 40 years, does there need to be any other chit-chat than the music that brought everyone together? The band played a mix of tracks from their extensive 40-year repertoire, including beloved hits and tracks from their latest release.
The noise-pop pioneers started their set with the electronic sound of their lead single 'jamcod', complete with William Reid's signature guitar sound and titular chorus chant; it's a testament to what the band achieved in 'Glasgow Eyes' and how even now, they create music that makes others feel tame in comparison.
This led to a slew of fan favourites like pop-punching 'April Skies' and grungy 'Head On' that had the crowd singing along with fervour. Jim Reid was as effortlessly cool as ever, a microphone cord wrapped around his wrist as he swooned centre stage, vocals unchanged from the original recordings.
Deep cuts like Psychocandy's noise-filled, Bauhausian 'In A Hole' and Darklands' bleak and hypnotic 'Nine Million Rainy Days' were welcomed additions to the setlist, cushioned with the band's newer releases such as fuzz-infused and positively lethargic 'Pure Poor' and the electronic squall of 'Venal Joy', the closing rubato even more impactful punctuation live.
Of course, the band couldn't leave without one final flurry of tracks, and by God, was their encore comprised of their greatest. From the iconic 'Just Like Honey' accompanied by CIEL's Hindricks with no one in the room standing silent to the shoegaze epic 'Taste of Cindy', it was a home run for the band as they played tracks well-adored by the crowd. The five-piece ended the set with 'Reverence' that saw the untamed mane of Wiliam create guitar magic for one final time in one of the band's grooviest (and dark) offerings.
If this show proved anything, it's that The Jesus and Mary Chain are and will forever remain a testament to the noise-rock, shoegaze genre.
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