The Jesus And Mary Chain, O2 Academy, Newcastle
- Written by Lee Hammond
In a week where the hype is firmly placed around the 6 Music Festival in the city, Newcastle is still flexing its musical muscles. Tonight being no different as The Jesus and Mary Chain roll into town, playing their classic album Psycho Candy in full. However, we begin the evening cursing ourselves, arriving slightly late we walk into the venue to see The Membranes rocking out.
John Robb and his band are tearing the place limb from limb, to clarify the reason we missed part of the support was because they weren’t announced after Eagulls cancelled. Anyway we get to see the latter part of their fierce set with the enigmatic bass player Robb up on the barriers taunting the crowd in his individual style.
The Jesus and The Mary Chain take to the stage for their first set of the evening (normally in these types of sets the band play the album first then a smattering of hits after. Not The Jesus and Mary Chain). They open with the hits, ‘April Skies up first, the band, clouded in smoke, protecting the fact that they’re not overly comfortable with being on stage.
That anxiety makes the set though, 'Psycho Candy' is just awesome, these first few tracks are breathtaking and despite the crowd not needing warming up, this is definitely the perfect way to do it. As Jim Reid clings to his mic stand as if it were a safety blanket, seldom letting go, though when he does he appears more at ease.
The band leave the stage for a very short moment as the Psycho Candy album cover is projected on to the back of the stage, whilst more smoke is pumped on to the stage. They return and waste no time in getting stuck into 'Just Like Honey', which sets the crowd alight; many hands are firmly held high and the crowds collective voice almost overpowers Jim’s own.
Similarly ‘Cut Dead’ sounds phenomenal, the stripped back nature of the track provides a small amount of shade on what is otherwise a powerhouse of a performance. At the opposite end of the spectrum ‘Taste of Cindy’ sounds incredible for a completely different set of reasons, the guitars are otherworldly, so abrasive and in your face, so few bands achieve such intense sounds.
That sound is one which courses through the veins of the album, it's the sound which initially drew us into it all those years ago. Jim’s interaction with the crowd throughout the second part of the set is minimal, only stopping to introduce the last track ‘It’s So Hard’. An awesome way to finish and whilst we know it is the closing track on the album it seems like a fitting way to close out this barrage of guitar noise and otherworldly sounds.
We’re filled with a renewed sense admiration and adoration for Psycho Candy, it is a classic album and tonight The Jesus and Mary Chain have really done it justice.