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 Photo: Justin Edwards
Sydney band Ghostwood open the evening to an almost empty room. The crowd exists in a constant state of flux as people enter, realise their friends haven’t arrived yet, and exit again for cigarettes and/or quiet conversation. The Arena is still well below half capacity when Londoners The Rakes take over from (the band formally known as) The Ghosts. Both acts perform admirably, but neither make much of an impact on the psyche.
The reason for this – by and large – is the heralded calibre of The Jesus And Mary Chain. The excited whooping from the devoted few hundred fans is hauntingly genuine. Looking around as William Reid’s first distorted notes emanate from his twin Orange stacks, it’s plain to see people have been waiting a long time for this.
The band are restrained as they cut a bloody swathe through their back catalogue. There’s not too much expression from the rockers these days, but their cagey uncomfortableness has an enduring quality to it. It’s a shame to see William hand all his vocal duties over to Jim, who looks positively embattled pressed up against the microphone stand. The singer’s voice hasn’t recovered from whatever ailed him at V Festival, and his poor hearing (from years of listening to feedback) makes hitting high notes a specific trial.
It matters little however, as tonight is all about the songs. For those of us who’ve spent the last few weeks revising with 21 Singles: 1984 – 1998, our selective studiousness is rewarded, as the band tread their more successful territory almost exclusively. It would have been nice to hear some more Psychocandy material aside from Just Like Honey and Some Candy Talking, but those songs have been around for over 20 years now.
The band return for an encore which thankfully includes Reverence, rendering – for me at least – the circle complete.
JAKEB SMITH
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