- "WHATEVER!"
New mix is up, the front cover is totally me in my room.
Love hearts
Monday 28 January 2013
Madam Ant's Compilations - Volume #23 - February 2013
"You're such a teenager!"
- "WHATEVER!"
New mix is up, the front cover is totally me in my room.
Love hearts
- "WHATEVER!"
New mix is up, the front cover is totally me in my room.
Love hearts
Thursday 10 January 2013
Veronica Falls: Waiting For Something To Happen - album review
by Carrie Quartly
Veronica Falls - Waiting For Something To Happen (Bella Union, Slumberland)
CD/LP/DL
Out 4th February
Acclaimed London-based indie poppers Veronica Falls return with triumphant new LP that's sure to rank among 2013's finest releases.
Veronica Falls' generally well-received debut identified them as strong songwriters with a penchant for reverbed jangle in the C86 tradition, with comparisons being comfortably made with The Pastels, The Shop Assistants, and Black Tambourine. It also revealed their affinity towards dismal subject matter, featuring songs about the infamous South Downs suicide spot ("Beachy Head") and liaisons in the cemetery ("Found Love In a Graveyard").
Make no mistake, though, Veronica Falls are not a band of humourless, navel-gazing mopes, and they effortlessly balance sombre themes with surprisingly bright and wistful pop arrangements - lots of tambourine shakes, boy-girl harmonies and fizzy guitars.
I caught a free show by Veronica Falls in the oppressive humidity of New York's South Street Seaport last June, and while I admired their first album, the songs from it seemed far less fluffy and had more propulsive punch live, with the brand new material being without a doubt the impressive highlight of the set.
Waiting For Something To Happen delivers on the promise shown that day, it's thirteen songs continued evidence of the quartet's gift for catchy guitar lines and flair for the dramatic, but with brighter, more concise and more memorable melodies.
With the prolific Rory Attwell behind the mixing desk (a producer becoming known for shaping the sounds of the most exciting recent indie bands, including S.C.U.M., Yuck, The Vaccines, Palma Violets, and Big Deal), Waiting For Something To Happen seems set to be Veronica Falls' breakthrough album.
Opener "Tell Me" immediately reveals a more confident sound, with breezy harmonies and at times an almost bombastic shifting of intricate guitar flourishes, progressing to a "Marquee Moon" like Mixolydian scale ascent at the 2:20 mark.
Second track and lead single "Teenage" is probably the standout for me, singer Roxanne Clifford's vocals are less deadpan, and while there is still the sweet twee pop feel, Clifford's and James Hoare's guitar playing is bolder and has more up-front urgency than any of their debut LP's offerings. The lyrics are instilled with a charming, romantic naivete as Clifford purrs dreamily, "Driving late at night, I'll let you listen to the music you like..."
"Broken Toy" maintains the sure-footed pop precision of the previous track, with more relationship-based lyrical pathos ("'Cause you're a broken toy it's true, but I am broken, too").
"Shooting Star" reigns in the pace a bit, with a plodding, measured drum beat and sleepy dissonant guitar lines as Clifford yearns for a shooting star to "point me in the right direction."
The title track is bright and assertive and wastes no time leaping in with shimmery, jangling guitar hooks and honey-coated boy-girl harmonies.
"My Heart Beats", which was released as a single early on last year, is another obvious highlight. Perhaps more than any other track on the album, it shows off their new-found rhythmic power, a swaggering full-on pop assault with an insanely catchy chorus.
The goth-tinged dark stuff is still here ("Buried Alive") but as always, Veronica Falls balance it with just the right hint of sweetness so it doesn't drag things down.
Final track "Last Conversation" ends things on an optimistic note ("there's a hope for me"), and sounds like something The Pale Saints might have written for The Comforts of Madness.
Where their first album was accomplished enough to put Veronica Falls on the radar as a band to watch, Waiting For Something To Happen sees them exploding into the consciousness of serious music fans everywhere, with a more resonant fierceness, tenacity and gutsiness to their style overall, and despite the growing pains alluded to in the lyrics and song themes, it's clear delivering an excellent (and dramatically forward leaping) sophomore album was not much of a trial for them.
All words by Carrie Quartly, you can read more of her writing on the site here.
CD/LP/DL
Out 4th February
Acclaimed London-based indie poppers Veronica Falls return with triumphant new LP that's sure to rank among 2013's finest releases.
Veronica Falls' generally well-received debut identified them as strong songwriters with a penchant for reverbed jangle in the C86 tradition, with comparisons being comfortably made with The Pastels, The Shop Assistants, and Black Tambourine. It also revealed their affinity towards dismal subject matter, featuring songs about the infamous South Downs suicide spot ("Beachy Head") and liaisons in the cemetery ("Found Love In a Graveyard").
Make no mistake, though, Veronica Falls are not a band of humourless, navel-gazing mopes, and they effortlessly balance sombre themes with surprisingly bright and wistful pop arrangements - lots of tambourine shakes, boy-girl harmonies and fizzy guitars.
I caught a free show by Veronica Falls in the oppressive humidity of New York's South Street Seaport last June, and while I admired their first album, the songs from it seemed far less fluffy and had more propulsive punch live, with the brand new material being without a doubt the impressive highlight of the set.
Waiting For Something To Happen delivers on the promise shown that day, it's thirteen songs continued evidence of the quartet's gift for catchy guitar lines and flair for the dramatic, but with brighter, more concise and more memorable melodies.
With the prolific Rory Attwell behind the mixing desk (a producer becoming known for shaping the sounds of the most exciting recent indie bands, including S.C.U.M., Yuck, The Vaccines, Palma Violets, and Big Deal), Waiting For Something To Happen seems set to be Veronica Falls' breakthrough album.
Opener "Tell Me" immediately reveals a more confident sound, with breezy harmonies and at times an almost bombastic shifting of intricate guitar flourishes, progressing to a "Marquee Moon" like Mixolydian scale ascent at the 2:20 mark.
Second track and lead single "Teenage" is probably the standout for me, singer Roxanne Clifford's vocals are less deadpan, and while there is still the sweet twee pop feel, Clifford's and James Hoare's guitar playing is bolder and has more up-front urgency than any of their debut LP's offerings. The lyrics are instilled with a charming, romantic naivete as Clifford purrs dreamily, "Driving late at night, I'll let you listen to the music you like..."
"Shooting Star" reigns in the pace a bit, with a plodding, measured drum beat and sleepy dissonant guitar lines as Clifford yearns for a shooting star to "point me in the right direction."
The title track is bright and assertive and wastes no time leaping in with shimmery, jangling guitar hooks and honey-coated boy-girl harmonies.
"My Heart Beats", which was released as a single early on last year, is another obvious highlight. Perhaps more than any other track on the album, it shows off their new-found rhythmic power, a swaggering full-on pop assault with an insanely catchy chorus.
The goth-tinged dark stuff is still here ("Buried Alive") but as always, Veronica Falls balance it with just the right hint of sweetness so it doesn't drag things down.
Final track "Last Conversation" ends things on an optimistic note ("there's a hope for me"), and sounds like something The Pale Saints might have written for The Comforts of Madness.
Where their first album was accomplished enough to put Veronica Falls on the radar as a band to watch, Waiting For Something To Happen sees them exploding into the consciousness of serious music fans everywhere, with a more resonant fierceness, tenacity and gutsiness to their style overall, and despite the growing pains alluded to in the lyrics and song themes, it's clear delivering an excellent (and dramatically forward leaping) sophomore album was not much of a trial for them.
All words by Carrie Quartly, you can read more of her writing on the site here.
Friday 4 January 2013
Thursday 13 December 2012
Madam Ant's Compilations - Volume #21 - November 2012
My latest mix is now up! I had finished it in early November, but visited the UK for a few weeks and then had other things going on when I returned home (mainly gigs and sleep deprivation).
I used the picture of me in my Nobunny Halloween costume as the cover since it seemed to be popular and meant I didn't need to think too much! Anyway, it's mostly more of that great garage pop I've fallen in love with lately, and I know it has already done it's job and encouraged people to buy the music!
http://www.mediafire.com/?ktt9tuwkf4um4nu
Copyright infringement is really not my intention as I've stated before, a lot of this stuff was either available for free online or sold out and no longer available. I only do these out of love and always insist people BUY if they like what they hear. Not trying to upset anyone! I'm really nice, actually... :-p
I used the picture of me in my Nobunny Halloween costume as the cover since it seemed to be popular and meant I didn't need to think too much! Anyway, it's mostly more of that great garage pop I've fallen in love with lately, and I know it has already done it's job and encouraged people to buy the music!
http://www.mediafire.com/?ktt9tuwkf4um4nu
Copyright infringement is really not my intention as I've stated before, a lot of this stuff was either available for free online or sold out and no longer available. I only do these out of love and always insist people BUY if they like what they hear. Not trying to upset anyone! I'm really nice, actually... :-p
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Live Review: Adam Ant at NYC's Best Buy Theater, 6th October, 2012
by Carrie Quartly
Adam Ant played a
sold out show at NYC’s Best Buy Theater on Saturday, October 6th (rescheduled
from February 15th), after a 17 year absence from the USA.
Support for the evening was provided
by Brothers of Brazil, two brothers from Brazil (as their name already tells
us) uniting their style preferences to create a zippy fusion of punk, Samba and
bossa nova.
 |
| Brothers of Brazil |
Supla, the oldest of the pair, who remained behind the drum kit for most of the
performance, makes his musical loyalties abundantly clear by sporting bleached
blonde Billy Idol liberty spikes and giving us a glimpse of what’s under his Union Jack bondage kilt during the show.
Principal singer and
guitarist João reminded me of Billy Fury, resplendent in shiny silver suit and perfect
teddy boy quiff.
So
good looks, confidence, and some well rehearsed light-hearted comic schtick
combined to make them a likeable diversion waiting for Adam Ant.
Adam
dressed the same as we’re used to seeing him recently (and 3 decades ago), a
pop Napoleon with his chunky bicorn hat and gold brocade military jacket festooned
with tightly wrapped waist sashes.
The
current lineup features guitarist Tom Edwards, of Fields of the Nephilim and
Edwyn Collins fame, who has added a reliable professionalism to the sound since
he joined the touring band in 2011, Joe on bass, and on the two drum kits for
that distinctively pounding tribal beat, Andy Woodward and Jola, who resembled
a sequined Cinderella when Adam prompted her to stand up for applause at one
point.
Also
joining Adam onstage of course, was Georgina Baillie, who I still think is just
unnecessary eye candy - she was inaudible for the entire concert apart from “Prince
Charming” during the encore, where she proved at least capable of staying in
tune for some brief, rudimentary backing vocals. Honestly, I’m not even sure
her mic was switched on for the show, and she wasn’t even able to dance all
that well, what with her hips being clingwrapped in itty bitty pieces of plastic
the whole time. Sure, Georgie is sexy and probably a sweet girl, but either
allow her to contribute properly or leave her in the dressing room… At any
rate, the absence of second ‘backing singer’ Twinkle made a vast improvement in
freeing up the congested stage so we could focus on Adam and the band, instead
of Twinkle’s hilariously distracting burlesque mime act.
Adam
played a rapidly paced, career spanning greatest hits package, from the raw,
snarling “Plastic Surgery” with its doom-laden bass note intro, to the sensitive
adult pop of 1995’s “Wonderful”, and the latest addition to the live set, the
slinky groove of upcoming album track “Vince Taylor”. Once again, Adam made
promises of a release date for the new album, this time its due in January 2013,
so mark your calendars, kids!
I
couldn’t help but feel the US audience was somewhat alienated by the majority
of the set, with its heavy reliance on Adam’s early punk material, but that
didn’t stop me enjoying myself, oh no…I stomped and tossed my hair and sang
along to my favourites from Dirk Wears White Sox, the humourously mean-spirited
“Fat Fun”, and the jerky, off kilter rhythms and staccato guitar lines of “Zerox”
(in my opinion very likely to be the finest single of all time).
Up to this point, forty-something housewives had been chattering incessantly behind me while splashing
their drinks into my studded boots, until they were summarily silenced by a roar
of “PANTIES - SHUT THE FUCK UP!” from the guy stood next to me. While I don’t
always condone of this method or its coarse, vaguely sexist execution, it was certainly
effective, so I salute him.
Adam seemed keen to appeal to his US audience in a number of ways - firstly he
was more polite in general, and didn’t appear to have the chip on his shoulder
about concert ticket prices being too low as he did in London last year.
Secondly, there was an odd moment where he asked us all if we came to ROCK!,
and when we didn’t respond enthusiastically enough, he asked us again, “DID YOU
COME HERE TO ROCK??!”, which I felt was a bit Bon Jovi of him, but oh well…
I
didn’t like how he name checked the crap culture phenomenon of “50 Shades of
Grey” when introducing “Whip In My Valise”, although he hastily added that he
hadn’t read it. “Whip” is probably my favourite Ant song; I don’t want it
referenced alongside that amateurish mummy porn just because the book has a
little light spanking in it.
Also curious was the fact that “Catholic Day” was
dropped from the set for the US
tour, which is about as offensive to Americans as “50 Shades” is genuine hardcore
eroticism.
At any rate, the Ant band gave an impressively tight and thrilling performance
overall (“shit hot” was my slightly drunken evaluation afterwards, I believe), with
even the guilty pleasures of the MTV days taking their place as bona fide
classics (apart from Room At the Top, which has always been a mildly annoying piece
of horribly dated and over-produced cheese).
So there you have it, Adam Ant has come a long way from some of his more unsettling guerilla gigs in 2010, and he made it to the USA! We might just get that album yet…
So there you have it, Adam Ant has come a long way from some of his more unsettling guerilla gigs in 2010, and he made it to the USA! We might just get that album yet…
SETLIST:
1. Plastic Surgery
2. Dog Eat Dog
3. Beat My Guest
4. Kick
5. Car Trouble
6. Ants Invasion
7. Deutscher Girls
8. Stand And Deliver
9. Room at The Top
10. Kings of the Wild Frontier
11. Wonderful
12. Whip In My Valise
13. Vince Taylor
14. Strip
15. Desperate But Not Serious
16. Cleopatra
17. Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)
18. Zerox
19. Antmusic
20. Goody Two Shoes
21. Vive Le Rock
22. Christian D’Or
23. Lady-Fall In
Encore:
24. Fat Fun
25. Red Scab
26. Get It On (Bang A Gong) (T. Rex Cover)
27. Prince Charming
28. Physical (You’re So)
2. Dog Eat Dog
3. Beat My Guest
4. Kick
5. Car Trouble
6. Ants Invasion
7. Deutscher Girls
8. Stand And Deliver
9. Room at The Top
10. Kings of the Wild Frontier
11. Wonderful
12. Whip In My Valise
13. Vince Taylor
14. Strip
15. Desperate But Not Serious
16. Cleopatra
17. Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)
18. Zerox
19. Antmusic
20. Goody Two Shoes
21. Vive Le Rock
22. Christian D’Or
23. Lady-Fall In
Encore:
24. Fat Fun
25. Red Scab
26. Get It On (Bang A Gong) (T. Rex Cover)
27. Prince Charming
28. Physical (You’re So)
Friday 5 October 2012
Madam Ant's Compilations - Volume #20 - October 2012
My new mix is now available for download. Once again, it's a gathering of my very favorite things at the moment. Eternally teenage - garage rock and punk horniness, indie guitar bands, breezy 70's AM radio pop, obscure psych! Dig in!
http://www.mediafire.com/?de8a1ucpjtx3pn3
http://www.mediafire.com/?de8a1ucpjtx3pn3
Friday 21 September 2012
Halfway To Crazy: 2 Nights of The Jesus & Mary Chain at New York's Irving Plaza
by Carrie Quartly
The Jesus & Mary Chain played two consecutive nights at Irving Plaza in New York City (September 13th and 14th), and I was there to witness them both.
We all know the history: chaotic amphetamine-fueled fifteen minute sets culminating in angry audience stage invasions and a hail of broken bottles and glass, drunken onstage fisticuffs between band members playing with their backs to the crowd...
It is fair to say that The Mary Chain's reputation for erratic and often shambolic live shows precedes them, but let it not be the sole judging factor for this thrilling band, who, beyond the legendary mayhem and uproar, have always been sensitive songwriters with a singularly uncompromising vision.
For both nights, the first support slot was provided by Brooklyn's well-received and fast moving The Vandelles, a reverb-laden, dissonant and noisy affair naturally well suited to sharing a bill with The Jesus & Mary Chain. Drummer Suzanne "Honey" Pagliorola proved to be the most compelling member of the group with her aggressively syncopated drum bashing. I like to see drummers grit their teeth with the rapid force of the blows they're delivering, and I could see her anticipating each beat with a sort of reckless glee as her hair flew around her face. On Thursday they finished with a somewhat unconvincing manhandling of stage gear before heading off, while on Friday they seemed abruptly whisked off the stage (whether because of time restraints or otherwise, I'm not entirely sure).
Second act was The Psychic Paramount, who refreshingly appeared to not give a shit. There would be no token rock star gestures of trashing equipment or enthusiastic shout-outs to the city, no posing at the edge of the stage for a protracted squall of guitar soloing...These boys were like the horsemen of the apocalypse, crafting a painfully loud sonic wall of undulating grooves which earplugs did very little to soften or subdue. Add to that a constantly flowing miasma of noxious vapors courtesy of a dry ice machine working overtime, and the murky atmosphere of impenetrable doom was pretty near complete. Through the dense, swirling fog, their dark, concentrated figures lurked like spectres in the gloom, the barrage of noise broken only by a transitional chirping of crickets between songs (and even that was still an aching boom in my ears).
Let me begin my Jesus & Mary Chain report by confronting people's misunderstanding of their stage persona. To many uninitiated audiences, they appear stoic and disinterested - Jim's audience interaction is curt and laconic, often a brief thanks with a short shrug of his shoulders before he walks towards his whisky cup where it rests on the drum stage riser - but it's long been common knowledge that The Mary Chain have always felt timid and uncomfortable on stage, an issue they have disguised well with their tumultuous noise assaults and well publicised drunken brawls.
I sometimes feel that today's audience has too much of a sense of entitlement, or that they want to make the night all about them, and to be honest, bands constantly seeking approval and self-consciously fawning all over the crowd to provoke a reaction just bore me.
To me, Jim Reid has always been a passionate authority on music with a fantastically dry and quick witted sense of humour. He demonstrates this early on Thursday night, addressing all the insistent cries of "I LOVE YOU, JIM!" simply with "I love me, too."
Thursday was the most professional I have ever seen them, they were both well organised and well behaved, with no incidents or false starts to speak of. The brothers Reid - along with one time Bobby Gillespie replacement John Moore on additional guitar, bassist Phil King, and drummer Brian Young - competently ran through 17 ageless JAMC tunes. William's feedback bursts seemed controlled and well-timed, and the spectacular lighting saturated the stage in vivid greens, blues and reds.
If there is any small complaint to make, it is that the set can seem a bit one-paced at times, consisting mainly of drum machine-era rockers from Automatic and Honey's Dead, but it is hard to quibble with classics like the explosively anthemic "Head On", the bad-ass, sneering "Reverence", with it's groaning refrain of "I Wanna die just like Jesus Christ/I wanna die on a bed of spikes", or the lunging, cock-sure swagger of "Blues From a Gun".
There were also more cuts from Psychocandy than I had heard live previously (all 3 encore songs) which made attending both nights doubly worth it, although Darklands was still underrepresented, with only "Happy When It Rains" making an appearance. Mary Blount from NYC all-girl rock trio Baby Shakes joined the band for "Just Like Honey" backing vocals on each night.
Friday was more memorable and had better sound despite the performance being sloppier overall. The band arrived onstage when "Sultans of Swing" was playing over the PA system, and Jim didn't want there to be any confusion, vehemently stating that they had NOT picked "Sultans of Swing" , that it was just bad timing, and that the DJ should be killed.
Fortunately John Moore's supplementary guitar duties took the attention away from some of William's more inebriated embellishments. Many times Jim was put on the spot because of William's poor timing and frequent tune up delays, during which he apologised for being "socially retarded" as he doesn't do audience banter or chat between songs.
There was the familiar tension and antagonism between the brothers, with Jim looking like he was miming poking William in the eyes through his glasses after they had a post fuck-up private huddle. William also had an uncharacteristic 'rock god' moment when he came to the front of the stage in front of me to let off all kinds of errant squealing noises from his guitar, and it seemed like he was doing pretty much whatever he wanted, regardless of some of the more cutting looks he was getting from Jim. Still, the mood seemed light and by all accounts, William was a hilarious character backstage as well, becoming a harmless but amusing 'annoying Romeo' in his various attempts to pick up girls.
So The Jesus & Mary Chain remain an unpredictable force close to my heart, creating a mostly beautiful din which sets them miles apart from their contemporary copyists too scared to ruffle any feathers or do things their own way. Anyone expecting perfection and smooth professionalism should stay at home, but it'll be their loss.
SETLIST:
Snakedriver
Head On
Far Gone and Out
Between Planets
Blues From a Gun
Teenage Lust
Sidewalking
Cracking Up
All Things Must Pass
Some Candy Talking
Happy When It Rains
Half Way To Crazy
Just Like Honey
Reverence
---------------------------
ENCORE:
Hardest Walk
Taste of City
Never Understand
The Jesus & Mary Chain played two consecutive nights at Irving Plaza in New York City (September 13th and 14th), and I was there to witness them both.
We all know the history: chaotic amphetamine-fueled fifteen minute sets culminating in angry audience stage invasions and a hail of broken bottles and glass, drunken onstage fisticuffs between band members playing with their backs to the crowd...
It is fair to say that The Mary Chain's reputation for erratic and often shambolic live shows precedes them, but let it not be the sole judging factor for this thrilling band, who, beyond the legendary mayhem and uproar, have always been sensitive songwriters with a singularly uncompromising vision.
For both nights, the first support slot was provided by Brooklyn's well-received and fast moving The Vandelles, a reverb-laden, dissonant and noisy affair naturally well suited to sharing a bill with The Jesus & Mary Chain. Drummer Suzanne "Honey" Pagliorola proved to be the most compelling member of the group with her aggressively syncopated drum bashing. I like to see drummers grit their teeth with the rapid force of the blows they're delivering, and I could see her anticipating each beat with a sort of reckless glee as her hair flew around her face. On Thursday they finished with a somewhat unconvincing manhandling of stage gear before heading off, while on Friday they seemed abruptly whisked off the stage (whether because of time restraints or otherwise, I'm not entirely sure).
 | |
| The Psychic Paramount |
 | |
| The Vandelles |
Second act was The Psychic Paramount, who refreshingly appeared to not give a shit. There would be no token rock star gestures of trashing equipment or enthusiastic shout-outs to the city, no posing at the edge of the stage for a protracted squall of guitar soloing...These boys were like the horsemen of the apocalypse, crafting a painfully loud sonic wall of undulating grooves which earplugs did very little to soften or subdue. Add to that a constantly flowing miasma of noxious vapors courtesy of a dry ice machine working overtime, and the murky atmosphere of impenetrable doom was pretty near complete. Through the dense, swirling fog, their dark, concentrated figures lurked like spectres in the gloom, the barrage of noise broken only by a transitional chirping of crickets between songs (and even that was still an aching boom in my ears).
 | |
| The Jesus & Mary Chain: Friday night |
Let me begin my Jesus & Mary Chain report by confronting people's misunderstanding of their stage persona. To many uninitiated audiences, they appear stoic and disinterested - Jim's audience interaction is curt and laconic, often a brief thanks with a short shrug of his shoulders before he walks towards his whisky cup where it rests on the drum stage riser - but it's long been common knowledge that The Mary Chain have always felt timid and uncomfortable on stage, an issue they have disguised well with their tumultuous noise assaults and well publicised drunken brawls.
I sometimes feel that today's audience has too much of a sense of entitlement, or that they want to make the night all about them, and to be honest, bands constantly seeking approval and self-consciously fawning all over the crowd to provoke a reaction just bore me.
To me, Jim Reid has always been a passionate authority on music with a fantastically dry and quick witted sense of humour. He demonstrates this early on Thursday night, addressing all the insistent cries of "I LOVE YOU, JIM!" simply with "I love me, too."
Thursday was the most professional I have ever seen them, they were both well organised and well behaved, with no incidents or false starts to speak of. The brothers Reid - along with one time Bobby Gillespie replacement John Moore on additional guitar, bassist Phil King, and drummer Brian Young - competently ran through 17 ageless JAMC tunes. William's feedback bursts seemed controlled and well-timed, and the spectacular lighting saturated the stage in vivid greens, blues and reds.
If there is any small complaint to make, it is that the set can seem a bit one-paced at times, consisting mainly of drum machine-era rockers from Automatic and Honey's Dead, but it is hard to quibble with classics like the explosively anthemic "Head On", the bad-ass, sneering "Reverence", with it's groaning refrain of "I Wanna die just like Jesus Christ/I wanna die on a bed of spikes", or the lunging, cock-sure swagger of "Blues From a Gun".
There were also more cuts from Psychocandy than I had heard live previously (all 3 encore songs) which made attending both nights doubly worth it, although Darklands was still underrepresented, with only "Happy When It Rains" making an appearance. Mary Blount from NYC all-girl rock trio Baby Shakes joined the band for "Just Like Honey" backing vocals on each night.
Friday was more memorable and had better sound despite the performance being sloppier overall. The band arrived onstage when "Sultans of Swing" was playing over the PA system, and Jim didn't want there to be any confusion, vehemently stating that they had NOT picked "Sultans of Swing" , that it was just bad timing, and that the DJ should be killed.
Fortunately John Moore's supplementary guitar duties took the attention away from some of William's more inebriated embellishments. Many times Jim was put on the spot because of William's poor timing and frequent tune up delays, during which he apologised for being "socially retarded" as he doesn't do audience banter or chat between songs. There was the familiar tension and antagonism between the brothers, with Jim looking like he was miming poking William in the eyes through his glasses after they had a post fuck-up private huddle. William also had an uncharacteristic 'rock god' moment when he came to the front of the stage in front of me to let off all kinds of errant squealing noises from his guitar, and it seemed like he was doing pretty much whatever he wanted, regardless of some of the more cutting looks he was getting from Jim. Still, the mood seemed light and by all accounts, William was a hilarious character backstage as well, becoming a harmless but amusing 'annoying Romeo' in his various attempts to pick up girls.
So The Jesus & Mary Chain remain an unpredictable force close to my heart, creating a mostly beautiful din which sets them miles apart from their contemporary copyists too scared to ruffle any feathers or do things their own way. Anyone expecting perfection and smooth professionalism should stay at home, but it'll be their loss.
SETLIST:
Snakedriver
Head On
Far Gone and Out
Between Planets
Blues From a Gun
Teenage Lust
Sidewalking
Cracking Up
All Things Must Pass
Some Candy Talking
Happy When It Rains
Half Way To Crazy
Just Like Honey
Reverence
---------------------------
ENCORE:
Hardest Walk
Taste of City
Never Understand
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