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Jesus Jones rocks. It's a pure and simple fact, and it
seems to be something that has eluded the majority of the world
for more than a decade. People focus on that one shining moment
of Jesus Jones' popularity when the timing just happened to be
perfect for their hit song "Right Here, Right Now"…
but not a lot of people really paid attention beyond that. But
seriously, who ever heard "Move Mountains" that was
not immediately hooked into the energy and distinct vibe that
Mike Edwards spearheaded with the band? Even their later
records that were more exercises in songwriting and production
gave the world some amazing songs; "Next Big Thing"
and "Chemical Number One" being just a few examples.
Of course, Jesus Jones has never ended; they've just faded into
a quiet and relative obscurity. But they did get a chance to record
this brutally energetic concert DVD before they went totally underground.
Highlights of the concert include the aforementioned "Move
Mountains" which strips away the keyboards live and charges
full-in with guitars blazing and drums thundering. "The
Devil You Know" is more dynamic than it was on record,
revealing the true breadth and power of that most overlooked
of all Jesus Jones albums. Mike Edwards' brief interactions
with the crowd, as well as with the members of the band on stage,
are hilarious at times, and often telling as to why the band
had such unique chemistry. "Bring It On Down" is fast
and furious here, all energy and sharp guitar licks. "Right
Here, Right Now" is included, and it is a good performance,
but seems a bit shy of the energy and urgency of much of the
rest of the live set… which is, I suppose, why it was such
a great pop hit. "Welcome Back Victoria" is as quirky
and calmly brilliant as ever, rather more so after the vehement
onslaught of a blistering version of "Are You Satisfied?"
and just before the fury of "Message"… "Welcome
Back Victoria" is a bit of a respite among the otherwise
edgy and hard sounds of the set. And let us not forget "Never
Enough", which is here more energetic and fun than I had
ever seen the band any of the times I'd gotten to see them live.
All told, this is a long gig, twenty-five songs in length, with
hardly a breath between songs, which covers the band's entire
history… and does it very well. The sound quality is excellent
and really reveals a lot of the intricacies that most bands
would never be able to pull off in a live venue, much less at
these volumes.
Included on the DVD are a brief, strangely uninformative biography
of the band and a rather informative interview with the members
of the band. The interview covers quite a bit of the history
of certain songs; how they came about, how they were written,
what they're about. The good part is the entire band gives answers,
rather than leaving Mike Edwards to answer all the questions.
And then, of course, the gig… which is in a word: perfect.
I miss this band. I miss them a lot.
-Embo Blake
Track Listing:
1. Zeroes And Ones
2. Move Mountains
3. International Bright Young Thing
4. Caricature
5. Next Big Thing
6. Devil You Know
7. In The Face Of All This
8. Bring It On Down
9. All The Answers
10. Chemical Number One
11. Come On Home
12. Right Here, Right Now
13. Are You Satisfied?
14. Welcome Back Victoria
15. Message
16. Never Enough
17. Rocket Ships
18. Half Up The Hill
19. Real Real Real
20. Nowhere Slow
21. Info Freako
22. Who Where Why
23. Trust Me
24. Cut & Dried
Idiot Stare
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