Photo: Shirlaine Forrest
Even with Jim Reid shaving away the prominent head hair of his youth, The Jesus & Mary Chain stand iconic in the 90s noise pop line up with a unique sound that still lives on.
Whether you favour grizzly riffs or heartfelt harmonies, classic tracks from 'Darklands' and 'Psychocandy' came to Islington with ear-rupturing decibels.
There was no fuss with the set opener as the band broke into ‘April Skies’. The alternative rock heroes of the 90s were back. With a casual tease of an imminent new album (and the first LP in almost 20 years), ‘Blues From a Gun’ began.
The Jesus & Mary Chain are the kind of band you can enjoy even with an overweight 40-year old man bashing a drunken elbow into your side while warm beer spills onto your neck and an irritatingly placed strobe lights scorches your retinas. And whilst some may be too eager to mosh for the sake of moshing (even to ‘Nine Million Rainy Days’… there’s just no need) others are perfectly content with standing and drinking in the poignant music. Sometimes there’s nothing better.
Song structure with the band can seem too formulaic at times, but for what they lack in chord progression they make up for in lyrical rawness, with the likes of ‘Happy When It Rains’ and ‘Cracking Up’ stapling the set.
The band reappeared on stage for a five-song encore with the heartfelt ‘Just Like Honey’. After wearing their heart on their sleeves with the fan favourite, the band turned on the ripsaw for the last few songs including ‘Don’t Come Down’ with astronomic guitar effects to end the night.
The Jesus & Mary Chain have kept a cult following over the past two decades for one reason: Sheer brilliance.
