Who
The Jesus And Mary Chain
Support
The Slow Readers Club
Where
Birmingham O2 Institute
When
31st March 2017
Price
£27.50
Who with
No-one
Position
In the middle
Comments
It felt like a long time between gigs but in reality I was doing pretty well, with my third show in three months. I'd finally had some luck in securing employment with a company who not only actually don't seem to be Nazis, but also are based in a beautiful converted church I'd wanted to visit for ages, and no doubt being so much busier had changed my perception of time. In fact I was on an early shift all of the week leading up to this Friday gig so I was mightily tired, although I had made the most of the situation by arriving early and taking photos of the office building while no-one else was around. The night before I'd also paid a visit to the Hail To The Ale pub I'd been hearing so much about, which boasted some lovely snack food, but the relentless focus on English beer meant that the drinking simply wasn't that good, although combined with a visit to the new Slater's bar in central Wolverhampton it actually felt like the city was finally on the up! I purchased tickets for this show the moment they went on sale, although I don't believe that they ever sold out. It felt like The Jesus And Mary Chain were a band I needed to cross off my list, and in fact they'd be my fifth Creation Records legendary artist I'd get to see. This meant that The Boo Radleys, and to a lesser extent Bernard Butler, are the only Creation legends I've yet to appreciate, although I have seen Suede sans Bernard and Brave Captain featuring Martin Carr, so all of the best bands from the label I'd enjoyed to some extent! I also was becoming a fan of Birmingham Institute after watching SFA and The Wonder Stuff there in quick succession, and knowing that Bobby Gillespie started his career drumming with this band of fellow Scots just made them all the more interesting. Plus they'd been given the title role in Upside Down, the Creation Records story, which in typical fashion unfairly sidelined Super Furry Animals to focus on the lesser bands of the record label.

I purchased the J&M Chain double disc greatest hits album on Ebay for a reasonable price to build on the half dozen or so tunes that I'd accumulated over the years, and I heard it through two or three times although I must admit that the songs were only just starting to sink in. Still, I could tell that at the least they'd be alright, but after hearing stories of riots at early gigs due to their awful way with crowds and lazily short setlists I wasn't expecting a greatest hits set, anticipating that they could well be moody arseholes who happen to be blessed with talent. The fact that I had no massive connection to any one of their songs also meant I felt quite free to just go along and enjoy whatever they threw at me, as long as it didn't involve punches being thrown! In the build up to this gig I decided to resist Kasabian playing at Birmingham Academy, feeling that they'd been at the top of their game at Wolves Civic in 2009 and that a repeat viewing wasn't required, and also that the Academy could hardly provide the setting for a better show and that it wouldn't be fair on their massive fans if I deprived one of them of a ticket. Hopefully another chance will come, perhaps at an outdoor show as part of a bill! After completing my work week I drove home, got changed and cooked tea before heading out in the super off peak window, although I encountered some fuss after mistakenly buying the wrong ticket for the second time as I buy based on prices and annoyingly the single and return tickets both had the same cost! No-one checked though so my honesty didn't count for much, but I did appreciate the extra light caused by the clocks going forward, even if it just exacerbated my tiredness. To reduce what I had to carry I relied on my phone rather than iPod, quickly exhausting my Jesus And Mary Chain songs before moving onto My Bloody Valentine - a couple of bands it's difficult not to group together, even though MBV easily edge it for me.

I did see an MBV t-shirt in the crowd in fact, but before arriving at the show I popped into McDonald's to enjoy an Easter-themed Creme Egg McFlurry, although I made the same amateur gig mistake of not having a drink to prevent dehydration before going inside. I also took some pictures of the Bullring and St Martin's Church, enjoying the evening light before it got dark, before taking the short walk to the venue. Doors had opened around 7pm and I arrived an hour later, walking straight in after a hassle-free search. The room was fairly quiet at first and a backdrop was already up featuring the Damage And Joy album artwork, which I'm shocked to note is their first new album since 1998! Also the band's name was in very small letters at the top of the backdrop, although I couldn't see that until later in the show in the brief moments when the lights were turned up. I thought I may have missed the support act altogether so was delighted when the lights went up a bit and I could see that the main drum kit was still to be unveiled, and as I actually got bored waiting around I was thrilled to note that my late arrival hadn't resulted in my missing out on anything. I wanted to check out the interior architecture of The Institute but it was just too dark to tell if the room was pretty, although it certainly seemed to extend further back than I remembered from last time. Also it was nice to see that the crowd were quite mixed, with a good few girls including one or two with Goth hair, and plenty of young fans about. It never really crossed my mind that The Jesus And Mary Chain were a Goth band, but they certainly do overlap with that world, although their negativity is more based around anger and attitude rather than whiny self pity.

Support band The Slow Readers Club took to the stage, and I expected a generic guitar sound, so was pleasantly surprised when they launched into their first tune, although it did reveal pretty much everything they had to offer very quickly. The template was very obviously The Killers third album, and they claimed to be unsigned but came across as incredibly poppy, polished and professional. Although they clearly were focused on the one sound it was a good one to have, and upon hearing them declare that they were from Manchester I was pleased that my former home is still leading the way. They already had a professional-looking logo which was planted in small writing to the sides of the stage, and appropriately given my level of exhaustion they had a song that seemed to be about yawning! One tune was introduced as being the only quiet one of the night but to be honest it seemed pretty much the same tempo as just about everything else, but despite the lack of variety The Slow Readers Club had already joined the group of genuinely good support acts, as they had a distinctive and clear sound that maintained my interest and went down well with everyone who'd made the effort of turning up early. By the time of the main event the room had filled up, but I'd researched stage times to no avail and I do often wonder how people psychically know when a headliner is due to start and can time their arrival accordingly? Studying my ticket revealed that the curfew was to be 11pm, so although the band took their time setting up I knew that I wouldn't face the horrible situation of choosing between catching my train or seeing the end of the show. The Slow Readers Club had played a concise set and made the time up, although it wasn't until 9:30pm on the dot that the headliners would show up, by which time I was getting very tired and had apparently been sniffing and sneezing enough to be offered a tissue by someone!

The background music for the most part was either completely anonymous or just turned off, although the mood briefly lifted for Happiness Is A Warm Gun followed by Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. No coincidence that the two tunes I'd DJ with are the two that got the crowd going, but despite the violent reputation of the band I must say that the evening was refreshingly low on dickheads, although the tallest guy in the world did have a go at standing in front of me shortly before the opening. I'd started off quite near the front but had gradually shifted back and to the right, not desiring to be in a moshpit and feeling comfortable that the pleasant size and layout of the venue meant that I could see the show properly from any vantage point. The guys took to the stage in a devastatingly low key manner, with the singer Jim Reid either mumbling his thank you's or the mic not being turned up high enough! There were no issues when they started though, with the first tune being Amputation from the new album, which comfortably felt like a hit already. April Skies was the second song, and this seemed appropriate as it was the 31st of March and April was just around the corner! It sounded great and I was getting the vibe that the band had now become decent professionals, not being dicks about the occasional cameras in the air or expressing disappointment at the muted reaction when they said they'd play a couple of new songs, although after such a long gap since their last album I'd had thought hardcore fans would be enthusiastic for new material! It was so dark and atmospherically lit that it was very tough to see the group, and this meant that getting a good photo was near-impossible, as you can see from my mediocre attempt above. But I hadn't expected this to be a show of gimmicks, and I must say that the music was very compelling by itself, not only keeping me awake but validating my decision to attend.

William Reid stuck deep in his corner to the right of the stage and sported frizzy hair in sharp contrast to his brother. There was zero interaction between them but they weren't the types to start banter, and the fact that Jim sometimes prowled the stage suggested that there was no animosity, but they were just very focused and professional. His hair was very 80s and would have fitted nicely on the head of Robert Smith, and looking back at old photos I can see that there was a time when they both sported big hair, although Jim had abandoned it long before. There were three other members of the group who were firmly relegated to the sidelines, who helped create the excellent sound but I read that none of them were with the group before they reformed in 2007. I shot my first video for Blues From A Gun, capturing a couple of moshers and my failure to stop the recording in time as I was using a different camera thanks to the aforementioned stain on my Panasonic one. The music was dynamic and exciting and there was no doubt whatsoever that they were utterly superior to the wimpy sound of The Wonder Stuff, who had been saved by their awesome supporting bill. I shot a second video for Cherry Came Too, capturing the minimalist and foggy light show and poor sound quality because the volume was so loud. Some Candy Talking was perhaps the highlight of the show, featuring possibly the loudest guitar solo I'd ever heard, leaving me gasping and left to simply applaud the audacity of the volume, providing the same level of noise as Alec Empire, My Bloody Valentine or Super Furry Animals at their loudest, although I didn't have earplugs to protect myself as I'd done for MBV! I'd wondered if they'd even last beyond 10:30pm but in fact they played pretty much up to the curfew, even throwing in a joke about it being their last song, before acknowledging the reality that they'd be back very shortly. Everyone knows encores are fake, so why are people so attached to the gimmick? The film equivalent is a post credits scene, but everyone just buggers off for that, isn't it strange how encores generate the opposite reaction of whipping up enthusiasm rather than annoying people with a fake ending?

A few hits had been saved for the finale too, in particular Just Like Honey. The guy a bit in front of me decided to hold his arm aloft like an enthusiastic Nazi salute, not moving it in time to the music but holding it utterly stationary in a bizarre gesture of enjoyment. He'd done precisely the same thing during Some Candy Talking, and the annoyance of the arm in the way was partly offset by the amusement of how ludicrously silly his show of approval was. I shot a third video capturing the contrast between darkness and blue lights, and the parallels between The Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine/Primal Scream are just so blindingly obvious it must be literally impossible to review these guys without making the comparison. You Trip Me Up was the last blast of a hit and was a moment of noise to savour, before the set finished with an unknown tune and the reappearance of a girl singer who'd also showed up for one song earlier in the set, although any delicate and subtle vocals she added were lost amid the volume! The band were either happy with the fairly positive but polite crowd reaction or were being very professional with their thanks, with William Reid even granting us a glimpse of his Batman logo t-shirt and the briefest of waves before departing the stage for the final time. I was already starting to edge my way toward the exit, beating the bulk of the crowd and heading straight for New Street, being surprised to note that somehow the underground platforms had been massively modernised and I'd failed to notice! Either I somehow missed the refurb or usually only catch trains from the decrepit platforms, but it was great to see that Birmingham had made the effort I'd wanted them to make to improve the functioning underbelly of the train station.

I found a seat at the station and scribbled down the fairly comprehensive notes that form the basis of this review I finished writing up just two days later, after spending a weekend catching up with my photos and updating my iPod in the hope it would free up time for other stuff. Although I'm in the middle of watching Lost again and will follow it with Twin Peaks ahead of its long-awaited return, so my diary will be quite full until the summer. I'm even managing to go swimming four times a week, although my body continues to defy nature by not losing the amount of weight that my fantastic exercise regime should merit. It's always difficult to adapt to working a five-day week again but I was managing, although I do remain utterly baffled at how people can claim to ever be bored with so much to do in this modern world! I heard music on my headphones on the busy last train and woke up the next day to my worst bout of whistling ears in a good while, which still hasn't fully recovered after 48 hours. It was fortunate that I had no specific hit expectations as The Jesus And Mary Chain in fact had overlooked my four favourite songs, namely Upside Down, Black, Happy When It Rains and Cracking Up. It is extremely fortunate that I had no great love for any of these tunes but went in with a rounded appreciation of all their material, as otherwise I could have been more than a little miffed! I wanted to reward the band 7.5/10 but comparing with the ludicrous quality of some of my other gigs I've awarded below 8/10 that does seem excessive, so I'll give them a very strong 7/10 and a pat on the back for still going and having aged and dated so wonderfully over the past 34 years. With Kraftwerk and Guns 'N' Roses to come in 2017 amongst other classic acts this was certainly shaping up to be another year striking that balance between old favourites and never-seen legends. It would be nice to become enthused about some genuine newbies too, but I won't force it, it will happen if it happens!
Setlist
Amputation
April Skies
Head On
Far Gone And Out
Between Planets
Blues From A Gun
Always Sad
Mood Rider
Teenage Lust
Cherry Came Too
The Hardest Walk
All Things Pass
Some Candy Talking
Halfway To Crazy
Reverence
Nine Million Rainy Days
Just Like Honey
You Trip Me Up
The Living End
Taste Of Cindy
War On Peace

Mark: 7.0/10