A few weeks back I went to see the Jesus and Mary Chain at the Enmore Theatre. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Pretty much every album from these guys had a markedly different sound, from their earlier, heavily distorted and feedback drenched efforts to the later, cleaner releases (well, clean for the Mary Chain). Which would we get tonight?

Photo by pj_in_oz, used under the Creative Commons license

Well, mostly we got the cleaner version, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as live it certainly let the melodies come through. About the only time they started to dirty things up was during Reverence, and to be honest it’s not a bad choice of tracks to let loose on. Still, after seeing Sonic Youth at the same venue so recently, this gig did feel ever so slightly light, and I never thought that’s how I’d feel after a Mary Chain show.
Even the obligatory spat between the Reid brothers was over before it really began. Maybe they’ve just mellowed with age.

Photo by pj_in_oz, used under the Creative Commons license

Re-reading this, it sounds negative, and I don’t really mean it to. I had a great time, I guess I’d just built these guys up in my mind and inevitably they couldn’t match it.
Still, so far it’s been a good year. Sonic Youth and The Jesus and Mary Chain, and it’s only April. All I need now is the rumoured My Bloody Valentine tour to come true and I’ll be a very happy boy.