The Jesus and Mary Chain

There are murmurs of expectation in the air around the streets just yards from the Troxy. It's Psychocandy. Yes, Psychocandy. The album that filled so many student bedrooms with its beautifully dripping mix of sweetness and aggression. The band who, under the gaze of Alan McGee, created such a rumpus with an attitude that kicked and punched the 80's out of its self important fug. For me, they were a huge influence at the time and for years to come. They still are. And, on tonight's performance, they are at a level of perfection that's difficult to match. But first it's the Amazing Snakeheads. I saw them headlining at the Electric Ballroom a few weeks ago. It's going to be too easy to list their influences. It's enough to say that they play some of the finest new rock n roll around. It's snarling, bluesy, raw, coiled and aggressive. Their followers adore them with an intense passion and they repay them with some slicing riffs and super tight rhythm section and a frontman lesson in screaming intensity from Dale Barclay. I love him. One small issue is that I do prefer them in a smaller venue, though. You need to feel the intensity and that's what the venue loses for them. But that's just me. Small venues. So the anticipation rises. Again. And then it's time. They're back. The band meander on with no fuss. William Reid, still with his wonderfully chaotic fuzz top, hooks his Gibson over his shoulder and gives us a downstroke. Jim Reid, I in his laid back, slightly shy drawl, tells the crowd that it would be presumptuous for them to assume that the crowd would want them back for an encore, so they're gonna do it first. And so it's April Skies. For me, it's full of nostalgia. The first song after Psychocandy and I heard it in the Hacienda on my birthday in 87. And tonight, the tears are there. It's beautiful. It's crystal clear and it's just a perfect opener. Head On, similarly is such a wonderfully executed song. Some Candytalking glistens and shimmers with such beauty. Upside Down is a bleeding fuzz of distortion and 60's melodies, and then it's Psychocandy the song to finally knifedge the crowd into a glimmer of what they are about to receive. They play Psychocandy in order. No frills. From the opening drumbeat and cascading distortion of Just Like Honey, the main set opens. William is hunched over his guitar, side on to the crowd and close to his Peavey carving out chord after beautiful chord of controlled sonic chaos and distorted melody. He creates such beauty with such ease. Jim redefined the nonchalance and cool of the frontman. But he also delivered in a way that laid bare his shyness and nerves at being the one who got the attention. Why me, almost? He still has that. The Mary Chain always played with a swagger. Still do. A beautiful swagger which was made even more beautiful by Jim's shyness upfront. I love his vocals but if there's one complaint, they are too low in the mix. But I can sing a long anyway so I'm not going to lose much sleep over it. The lightshow is a visual maelstrom with intensely rapid strobing all the way. It's about the Mary Chain tonight. And it's a like an avalanche. A bleeding avalanche of beauty delivered with that nonchalance and shyness that defined the band. But it's an avalanche in which you take solace. It's comforting. Psychocandy defined an era. A sound that defined how bands like My Bloody Valentine used aural assault to provide their fans with salvation. Without the Mary Chain, music would have had a hugely different soul. The Mary Chain are majestic tonight.

On Friday, May 1st, 2015, I attended the Jesus and Mary Chain 30th Anniversary of Psychocandy concert at The Phoenix Concert Theater in Toronto, Ontario. The sound was crystal clear and no matter where you stood, you were never more than 100 feet from Jim Reid. The Phoenix is one of the best venues to see live bands in the city.

I met two men from Montreal who were seeing JMC for the third time. The first time they saw them was decades ago and the crowd was full of leather and metal clad punkers thrashing about. Jesus and Mary Chain played for about 5 minutes before walking off the stage. They saw them again last year, I believe, at the Osheaga Festival in Montreal. That time, the event organizers told them that they had to play 20 minutes at least in order to get paid. So Jim, William, and the band played for about 18 minutes and then set down the instruments, let the sound fade and then walked off the stage at the 20 minute mark. I knew that Jesus and Mary Chain hate playing live so this did not come as a huge shock. I was just hoping they would play at least that long this time as it would likely be the last tour they ever do and my last chance to see them.

I have been a fan of Jesus and Mary Chain since 1986 when I was introduced to them by my punk friend in grade 10. I followed them from then on and had all their cassette tapes (so I could listen in my walkman). Seeing them was on my list of bands I had to pay homage to live for a long time. They are who set me on the path to the goth and alternative lifestyles I enjoy and participate in to this day.

Jesus and Mary Chain played two sets at The Phoenix and performed for a welcoming and appreciative audience for about 40 minutes, which from what I heard must be a record!! The first set consisted of music from Automatic and Darklands and the second was the Psychocandy album in its entirety. I claimed a spot in the fourth row for the first half of the show, all the while scoping out a spot in front because that is where I like to be. I was 15 feet from Jim and William Reid at all times and it was amazing! Eventually, I squirmed may way in to second row just off center and was a mere 5 feet from Jim Reid and the band. I had a blast dancing, singing with the crowd, celebrating, and paying homage to the band that started it all for me.

We traveled from Prescott, AZ to Denver, CO to see the boys at the intimate Paramount Theater and had fine seats just a few rows back from the stage. I had not seen them since they played in Los Angeles a few years ago (at the Wiltern, I believe). That L.A. concert was phenomenal with superb acoustics and lot's of that trademark J&MC distortion and feedback, which enhanced the energy and impact and made for most memorable evening. I have to admit, the crowd energy was mostly there at The Paramount on October 23, but I didn't think the acoustics were very good and both Reid brothers seemed a lot more subdued - perhaps they are just a bit bored these days or age is catching up to them after so many years. Jim's vocals were mostly fine and especially soulful on "Darklands", but he seemed (and looked like) more of a proper Scottish businessman than I expected. And William also seemed a bit more laid-back as well, and, as mentioned, I would have appreciated a bit more feedback and guitar distortion from him where he played from mostly towards the back of the stage . The final song they played during the encore, "Reverence" was their best on this evening - full of passion and drive and at least left me mostly satisfied. I was glad to see them again and certainly hope to again; but a more studio-like high voltage pace would be welcome. Overall, I'd give this show a "C+" or maybe a"B", as opposed to that L.A. show a few years ago which was definitely an "A". But glad your're back, boys! Cheers and all the best for your future, Jim and William.

While studying at LCP I went to the nearby Ambulance Station to see hotly tipped Scottish noise merchants Jesus and Mary Chain. It was my Free Trade Hall experience, 23 minutes of pure unbridled noise and attitude. As a result, I went to see JaMC another 7 times in the following 15 years. Through their Krautrock-y Automatic period, and their Stones-ey and Dethrone-sy period. They never disappointed. So I was disappointed by the 16 year layoff that followed their disappointing 1998 album Munki.

in 2007, I was delighted to hear they were (like everyone else) reforming, and I went to the Roundhouse to see one of the most disappointing gigs of my life. As a result, I didn't bother getting tickets for the late 2014 concerts. But the reviews were uniformly excellent, so I went to see their early 2015 Psychocandy anniversary concert. All I can say is that they are back - slightly friendlier and less attitude than when they were young, but no less excellent. 90 minutes of searing, feedback drenched rock and roll. Awesome.

I've bought a ticket now for Levitation in Austin in May. JaMC and Primal Scream on the same bill, reckon Bobby will guest on a couple of tracks?

Getting to see The Jesus and Mary Chain perform live recently was such an incredible experience. Although some of the controversy that they were met with when they first came out has certainly died down and seems a little tamer in this day and age, I think that their passion for performing still comes through on stage crystal clear.

Jim and William Reid's lyrics are just as incredible as they were before the band broke up, and The Jesus and Mary Chain made sure to play newer material as well as some of their old hits when performing at the Festival Cultura Inglesa when in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Their sound did seem a little out of place with some of the flashing strobes and fog, at least on some of their mellower songs, but it didn't dampen the experience of getting to see The Jesus and Mary Chain performing in the flesh at all.

I was especially grateful that they played two of my favorite songs, "Happy When it Rains" and, of course, "Just Like Honey." Jim Reid's vocals were every bit as powerful live as they were when I first heard the band back in the late 1980s, and it was great to get to see him and hear him putting his lyrics to life on stage.

Die Reid Brüder aus dem letzten Loch Schottlands waren Mitte der 80er auf der Insel der "hottest shit". Und das obwohl sie eigentlich weder gut Gitarre spielen, noch richtig singen konnten. Dafür waren sie (Ray Ban bebrillt) unheimlich cool. Keiner ließ den Hass gegeneinander und gegen den Rest der Welt so offensichtlich raushängen.

30 Jahre später gaben sie am 20. April den Auftakt zu einer kurzen Deutschlandtournee in der Centralstation Darmstadt. Darmstadt? Das letzte Loch Deutschlands? Na klar, wo auch sonst!

Mittlerweile ohne Brillen aber immer noch cool, ist der Auftritt etwas milder geworden als die oft in einer Massenschlägerei endenden frühen Auftritte. Auch wenn die Musik heute nicht mehr denselben Stellenwert wie damals hat, haben die Brüder gezeigt, dass sie nicht nur die alten Hits drauf haben, sondern durchaus in der Lage sind noch gutes neues Material zu liefern.

Die Reid Brüder boten in der vollen aber nicht ausverkauften (Darmstadt!) Centralstation ein Gesamtkunstwerk dar, welches sicher nicht nur alte Fans (dafür war der Altersdurchschnitt des Publikums zu gering) begeistert hat.

Opening with an opener from their most recent album, JAMC proved that they weren't exclusively tourists in their own past. A great set with songs spanning their entire discography, excluding Stoned and Dethroned and Munki. Each instrument occupied its own niche and were discernable, despite the shrill and often ear-piercing walls of sound that steamrolled out of the speakers. One example was during the performance of Reverence, during the droning E chord englufed with layers of reverb, modulation effects and distortion. Jim Reid's repetition of the line "I wanna die" was a clear as an April Sky (yes I also cringed at my own pun).The encore of course many classics from their debut, "Taste of Cindy", "You Trip Me Up" and one of my personal favourites, "The Living End". Jim was also overly critical of his vocal performance of "Cherry Came Too", which I and the audience in general thought was as good and melodic as it had ever sounded.

I would definitely recommend ear protection if you are prone to tinnitus; a great gig and band to see live especially if you're a noise pop/ shoegaze enthusiast :)

Once upon a time (1984), in a land far away (Plymouth) I saw a group of lads from East Kilbride play for twenty noisy, eventful minutes. Not quite so long ago (1992) they were part of a quartet of bands who played in what is probably the greatest gig night I've ever seen. They headlined a night with Blur (unexpectedly excellent), dinosaur Jnr and MBV. They were outstanding, in pretty amazing company. So, I went on Wednesday night with pretty high expectations. Great to see they can still rock with the best of them (if it wasn't for the pixies I'd say they were the best bunch ever to strap on an electric guitar...) and just as good to see those big strobes flashing behind them, as if they worked out what worked a long time ago, and have no need to change. The noise is amazing, the lyrics dark and beautiful, and the enthusiasm still as keen as ever. go and see them if you getr a chance.....

Saw JAMC at the Warfield in May 2015 on the Psychocandy tour - I also saw them in DC in Dec 1985 when they played the 9:30 club. At that time all the material they had was the Psychocandy songs. So for me, it was also a 30 year anniversary. Psychocandy is one of my favorite albums. So I was excited.
The sold-out Warfield shows (2700) were amazing, every song they played I considered a hit single, and the group played them immaculately. The tracks were a tad different than found on the album, but this is not a bad thing, they just enhanced the songs - more feedback layers, nice deep bass with Jim’s vocals ( I could understand every word he sung) made this one of the best shows I have ever seen. Don’t miss out – I think they are touring the East Coast in September and October 2015. On the West Coast, they sold out every venue, so buy your tickets early.

The show was, in a word, inspirational. First, the performance was incredible. The venue was the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta. It's a small, fairly intimate venue, and sadly the show was not nearly sold out. It would have been the perfect opportunity for the band to just "phone it in"; instead, like consummate professionals, they brought the noise. The set was tight and focused, and the distortion-and-feedback buttressed sonic wall still demonstrates (30 years later) why this band laid the groundwork for the shoegaze genre. Second, I'm in my early 50s, so the Reid brothers are about my age; I listened to their debut album, Psychocandy, in 1985 when I was just starting college. So to see these two guys still on stage and still making such powerful music, with such fidelity to the roots of their original sound, almost made me weep with appreciation.