The Jesus and Mary Chain: Live at Barrowlands (Demon) Review

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Live at Barrowlands

Demon

Jul 30, 2015 The Jesus and Mary Chain By Dan Lucas

As a band that made their name at the cutting edge of the post-punk movement, a band revered for sounding genuinely new and original, The Jesus and Mary Chain seem unlikely candidates for nostalgia. Yet here we are, listening to a live album recorded at a show celebrating an album’s 30th anniversary.

Those of us who caught the Scottish greats on the Psychocandy tour in 2014 can attest to the brilliance of hearing the album performed in full—especially for those of us who missed it a generation previous. For the band to throw in a handful of hits—“April Skies,” “Some Candy Talking,” “Psychocandy,” and “Head On” all included—felt like a bonus and it’s interesting to hear them played at the start of the set rather than tacked on at the end.

But there is still the nagging question: “What’s the point?” The live shows were deafeningly loud and visceral and the atmosphere is impossible to translate to a record, gamely as they might try. The quality of the recording is very disappointing; varying volume and muffled production suggest it was dashed off in too great haste. (www.thejesusandmarychain.uk.com)

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