Sábado 23 Jun 2007, 17:20

Fri 22 Jun – The Jesus and Mary Chain @ Meltdown

Seeing the Mary Chain for the first time in nine years was inevitable going to be an event but made all the more so as the last time I saw them (also accompanied by my partner in crime that night too) and probably the last time they played London, was at a previous Meltdown festival in the same venue: John Peel's in 1998 (how many artists have played more than one Meltdown festival?), support that night coming from Add N to X and Suicide. That night the venue had not even been half full and anyway everybody just piled down the front and jumped about. The gig had ended with a very drunk, or something …, William pronouncing his greatest and having to be dragged off by Jim. It also saw the presence on stage of Bobby Gillespie, Kevin Shields and Emma from Lush. Given that I was lucky to get tickets for this gig, I can only think to paraphrase the Mary Chain's early war cry and say "Where the fuck were you when we needed you?"

The Mary Chain have frequently played with excellent support, the Rollercoaster tour being of course the finest example, though notable few were interested in seeing Blur, myself included, and after all who would when you need to save your energies for My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr. as well as the headliners. The replacement of 1990's with The Pastels as main stage support just made things, if they could be, even better. Not that I can say that I did witness the last time the two bands shared a stage, which both Jarvis and later Stephen Pastel claimed to be Preston in 1985 - I was a rather socially inept 14 year old at the time, living in exile in the Medway Towns. The last time I saw The Pastels was probably even longer ago than the Mary Chain; 1993 at the Powerhaus (when it was still on Liverpool Road at Angel)? Maybe with Jad Fair? But then I did see Stephen in Monorail in Glasgow about 3 weeks ago and got all embarrassingly star-struck in a way that is most uncharacteristic. A large section of the crowd seemed underwhelmed or simply didn’t know who The Pastels were (shame on them) despite Jarvis’s introduction of them as legendary (but then he introduced Roky Erikson as legendary on Monday night and I’ve got to say he didn’t live up to his status, playing rather pub blues-rocky fare for the most part and not the stripped down 13th Floor Elevators sound that I expect most had turned up to hear - that came courteousy of the wonderful Clinic instead). The Pastels set was admittedly gentle, things only really getting more energetic at the end with Nothing To Be Done. Otherwise the material seemed to mostly consist of their later work, including a reworked version of Thru' You Heart. Stephen occasionally mumbled something to the audience but maintained the requisite twee awkwardness. However, the latest incarnation of the band played relatively tightly for a outfit famed for their shambolic performances.

So onto the Mary Chain. There’s always a danger with reformed bands. I’ve purposely avoided the return of The Pixies for this reason, though seeing Bauhaus, while I was never a great fan, in 1998 was entertaining and Th’ Faith Healers one-off UK appearance last year was maybe my favourite gig of the 2006. As I’ve mentioned above, while Roky Erikson was only in some unmusical senses “reformed”, the hope that he’d in some way recreate or do justice to the 13th Floor Elevators failed to materialised. But surely lightning would not strike twice? Even given that Jim has settled down in Devon and William continued his journey into oblivion? And how would they compare with contemporary acts? I had not only seen Clinic in the last week but also an excellent set from CocoRosie at The Bloomsbury Ballroom. Getting interval drinks had been a bit of battle but we returned to the RFH with the stage already starting to fill with dry ice – a sure sign of the imminent arrival of the main act. Before they came on stage Jarvis appeared spotlighted in one of the boxes and introduced the band, quite rightly pointing out that those who had attended the hippy hell that is Glastonbury could only be jealous that they were not witnessing such an event. Indeed it seems likely that people only went to the annual mudfest if they couldn’t get Mary Chain tickets. The RFH has this reputation for having great acoustics but even though I’ve been to scores of gigs there over the last couple of decades, it always takes my ears a while to adjust. Maybe because I’m used to the more intimate surrounds of less illustrious venues? But having said that, The Pastels had sounded fine from the start. It took a few seconds to click that the opening chords were Never Understand but that could have equally been because it had been so long since I’d had the pleasure of hearing it live. The audience had risen from their seats as soon as the brothers had walked onto the stage and most remained so for the duration. What followed made me feel, and dance around, like a teenager again. I had now worked out why I’d been letting my fringe grow for the last few months – to dance in like I did at numerous Mary Chain gigs in the past … and also to engender jealously in my surrounding contemporise, many who were now severely receded if not actually bald. After my initial adjustment, the band sounded in good voice; loud, snarling, swaggering and reminding me that they are one of my favourite bands of all time and in the end one of the greatest rock’n’roll and punk bands. They also write good pop songs. Unfortunately, the stage invasion and riot I hoped for failed to materialise, my now middle aged comrades being happy to remain in their allotted seat spaces or maybe not wanting to risk being thrown out by the admittedly burly security presence, indutibly drafted in for exactly this purpose. So alas I too remained in my allotted space, not wanting to risk not witnessing what was a joyous return of one of my greatest pleasures. As well as a lack of rebellious intention on the part of the audience, I was slightly disappointed that a fight between the brothers Reid failed to materialise. This was despite it taking three attempts for them to get Just Like Honey right. In fact the brothers seemed on relatively good terms given their legendary stormy relationship. The main set also consisted of renditions of (in no particular order) Blues From A Gun, Teenage Lust, Happy when It Rains, Some Candy Talking, Sidewalking, Cracking Up, Catchfire, Far Gone And Out, Her Way Of Praying… think I might have missed some out but then I was too busy dancing and drinking to take notes. Please let me know if I have.

At the end of the main set I dived out to the toilets, knowing an encore was bound to come. In my rush, as well as exhilaration and inebriation, I decided I’d be a good idea to jump down the short flight of stairs to the next level, forgetting that the RFH is made of concrete. Don’t think I have broken my leg, I did manage to cycle home, but have jarred it badly and maybe bruised the calf muscle and pulled tendons in my knee. Despite the concern of one of the door attendants I hobbled to the toilet and back in time for the opening chords of Vegetable Man– when was the last time the Mary Chain played that?! This was followed by You Trip Me Up and finally Reverence. I think everyone would happily have stayed for another couple of hours and another complete set of equally good material could have been performed – we didn’t even hear April Skies, Rollercoaster, Here Comes Alice, Nine Million Rainy Days, Taste Of Cindy, Sowing Seeds,The Living End, Kill Surf City, I hate Rock'n'Roll, Cracked, Just Out Of Reach …..

We adjourned to the foyer to witness the 1990’s. After the Mary Chain, they couldn’t compare sounding too much like the current crop of new wave inspired bands and people seemed to drift away from them. I however, couldn’t resist the lure of a vintage Mary Chain t-shirt (especially given the condition of my original one) and despite the costly price tag went for the April Skies print, featuring the iconic still from the Kill Surf City video of the crucified gunman (taken from a Roger Corman film?). A good choice as it turned out, as it bewildered a number of evangelicals “inviting” passers-by on the Holloway Road this afternoon to their “Gospel Concert”. I simply pointed to my t-shirt and told them that I’d already been to see The Jesus And Mary Chain and that my epiphany had not featured their lord and saviour but I would definitely invite them to attend the Mary Chain’s next sermon.