Opening up tonight's show was a band called Darker My Love, which, upon arrival at the Gothic, elicited many jokes about Jackson Browne's "Doctor My Eyes". This was unwarranted. It seems the members of Darker My Love are the band that is currently backing Mark E. Smith in the current incarnation of The Fall. That is enough to earn a music geek's respect, but the band holds its own very ably, as well. They play a sonic and melodic rock that is most easily described as Syd Barrett fronting Blur playing songs by Spiritualized… with a healthy dash of early Ride thrown in, and perhaps some Dandy Warhols. All said, DML plays a shoegazey/noisy wall of sound with copious amounts of 60's psychedelic vibe thrown in for good measure. It was a great way to start the night.

The Jesus And Mary Chain are perhaps one of the most steadfast and predictable groups in the history of rock music. This being the 4th time I've had the chance to see the band, I knew exactly what I was in for. The folks who hadn't seen the band before were a bit disappointed in the lack of antics and showmanship. But the Reid brothers, William and Jim, are as stoic on stage as they've been for nigh on three decades, simply playing the music that is their legacy. Ben Lurie was as solid as he always has been and, Lord willing, always will be; the only real movement coming when he would step forward to sing backup or to switch bass guitars from the P-bass to the Vox Phantom. The superfluous second guitar player moved around the tiniest bit, with his Rickenbacker - a strange sight to behold with the JAMC. Early rumours of the tour were that Loz from Ride would be the drummer, but it was hard to corroborate this at the show as the drummer was never visible, but did an efficient and excellent job of mimicking the drum machine when necessary, and getting loose when needed.

The songs in the set covered a lot of musical ground. Not only were the big hits present, songs like "Blues From A Gun" and "Head On", but the Reids pulled out some nice obscure tracks as well. The band rocked on the steadfast early track "Just Like Honey" and jumped right into the poppy "Far Gone And Out". Despite my yelling for "Kill Surf City" and "I Hate Rock And Roll", the band left out two of their more recent records, completely neglecting the underrated Munki and Hate Rock'N'Roll, and denied the audience the pleasure of hearing the Beach Boys rips live… yet again. No songs from the incredible Darklands album were played either, which is a shame, as "Happy When It Rains" would have been perfect to include. All in all the set was focused solidly on their middle material, with the occasional slip for the die-hard fans.

If you know the music of The Jesus And Mary Chain intimately, or simply want to hear some of the old guard rocking exactly the way the old guard should continue to rock, catching this tour is a great idea. We had a good time, surrounded by friends and seeing a few folks I'd not seen in a long while, all to the soundtrack of some of the greatest rock that the late 80's/early 90's gave the world… And not a word was uttered from stage… possibly a gratuitous "thank you" during the encore… JAMC proved themselves once more a band of few words, but tons of musical power.

-Embo Blake

The Jesus And Mary Chain
Oct. 28, 2007
Gothic Theater, Denver, CO
www.jesusandmarychain.org

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