Walking into the O2 on a Wednesday night to see The Jesus And Mary Chain (10) on a support slot feels a bit strange. Anyone who knows my taste knows what this band means to me.
From the noise and feedback of Psychocandy right through to the present day, they’re part of my musical DNA. So treating them as an opening act was always going to be a hard mental adjustment.
That said, Reid and company delivered a fantastic, albeit short, seven-song set. They didn't mess about. Opening with JAMCOD, they locked straight into that moody, feedback-drenched groove. Hearing April Skies, Blues From A Gun, and Some Candy Talking back-to-back in an arena was a treat, even if the room was still filling up.
That said, Reid and company delivered a fantastic, albeit short, seven-song set. They didn't mess about. Opening with JAMCOD, they locked straight into that moody, feedback-drenched groove. Hearing April Skies, Blues From A Gun, and Some Candy Talking back-to-back in an arena was a treat, even if the room was still filling up.
By the time they rolled through Happy When It Rains, Just Like Honey, and a menacing Reverence, they had shown exactly why their influence still hangs heavy over modern rock and shoegaze. They were in top form, and seven tracks honestly just left me wanting a full headline set.
I’d caught Alice Cooper out in Daytona earlier in the year, so I knew what to expect from him as the frontman for The Hollywood Vampires (8) a proper, full-fat rock 'n' roll spectacle. And they certainly delivered on that front.
The Vampires set is essentially the ultimate high-budget covers night celebrating dead friends and rock royalty, anchored by Alice, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen.
I was sceptical about Depp on guitar but he can play, he did a few vocals too but the mix didn’t do him any favours.
The band kicked off with a couple of their own songs I Want My Now and Raise The Dead before diving headfirst into a massive list of classics. Alice sounded great on I’m Eighteen, and the band pulled off a surprisingly dark rendition of Velvet Underground's Venus in Furs and Killing Joke’s The Death And Resurrection Show.
The covers kept coming thick and fast, Jim Carroll's People Who Died (where Ozzy probably got the biggest cheer of the night as he appeared on the film of all the people mentioned in the song was shown), Johnny Thunders’ You Can’t Put Your Arms Round A Memory, Aerosmith tracks, The Who's Baba O’Riley, and a massive crowd-singalong for David Bowie's Heroes. Closing out the main set with School’s Out blended into Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall was pure theatrical fun.
Then came the encore. Bringing out Ronnie Wood for The Train Kept A-Rollin’, The Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar, and Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining was a genuine surprise and a great moment to end on.
I went to the O2 specifically for The Jesus and Mary Chain, but the Vampires proved to be a thoroughly entertaining bonus. A solid night of classic riffs, nostalgia, and top-tier showmanship.
I’d caught Alice Cooper out in Daytona earlier in the year, so I knew what to expect from him as the frontman for The Hollywood Vampires (8) a proper, full-fat rock 'n' roll spectacle. And they certainly delivered on that front.
The Vampires set is essentially the ultimate high-budget covers night celebrating dead friends and rock royalty, anchored by Alice, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen.
I was sceptical about Depp on guitar but he can play, he did a few vocals too but the mix didn’t do him any favours.
The band kicked off with a couple of their own songs I Want My Now and Raise The Dead before diving headfirst into a massive list of classics. Alice sounded great on I’m Eighteen, and the band pulled off a surprisingly dark rendition of Velvet Underground's Venus in Furs and Killing Joke’s The Death And Resurrection Show.
The covers kept coming thick and fast, Jim Carroll's People Who Died (where Ozzy probably got the biggest cheer of the night as he appeared on the film of all the people mentioned in the song was shown), Johnny Thunders’ You Can’t Put Your Arms Round A Memory, Aerosmith tracks, The Who's Baba O’Riley, and a massive crowd-singalong for David Bowie's Heroes. Closing out the main set with School’s Out blended into Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall was pure theatrical fun.
Then came the encore. Bringing out Ronnie Wood for The Train Kept A-Rollin’, The Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar, and Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining was a genuine surprise and a great moment to end on.
I went to the O2 specifically for The Jesus and Mary Chain, but the Vampires proved to be a thoroughly entertaining bonus. A solid night of classic riffs, nostalgia, and top-tier showmanship.
No comments:
Post a Comment