First up is the dark garage of Grinding Eyes. They describe their soundscape as having just as much B-movie and cocktail influence as krautrock. The multi-tiered venue begins to thicken out more and more as Underground Lovers do their thing. It’s black clothing as far as the eye can see and the venue’s darkness grows even darker as we wait for the headliners.
It’s no wonder The Jesus and Mary Chain sold out The Forum so quickly, which is what prompted this more intimate gig. Jim Reid and his fuzzy-haired and fuzzy-guitared brother William float onto the 170 Russell stage for Jim to announce the night’s agenda. The Jesus and Mary Chain will be playing a number of songs, then walking offstage for a minute or two, then coming back to play Psychocandy in full. Let it begin.
They open with April Skies turned up to 11 and power through some of their better-known tunes. A couple from Darklands and a couple from Automatic are included. The hypnotic lights make it nigh on impossible to see anyone but the frontman. I suppose JMC aren’t really about moves or nuanced performance, but it’s nice to see things. But I could see the frustration on Jim Reid’s face just before he manically took his mic off the stand and put it up to his brother’s Orange stack to heighten his fuzzy noise. Prior attempts to get the sound right just didn’t work. It begins a pattern of sonic perfectionism that leads to a few more misfires.
Without enough time for the quickest of bathroom breaks, they’re back to play their debut album. “Boom-bom-bom… Boom-bom-bom” begins Just Like Honey and the crowd erupts. But it’s short-lived when the band stops and starts again. The gents clearly aren’t happy with William’s signature guitar getting lost in the mix. A new microphone is required for In a Hole and Reid looks so much happier for it, even jumping around in almost-joy. You Trip Me Up is definitely a highlight of the night, for both band and audience.
Throughout the night I’m reminded of how short and concise a great song can be. A good performance of a great album.
Loved: The wall of fuzzy noise.
Hated: Starting and restarting songs.
Drank: To hydrate.
BY NAJ
