Jim Jones, lead singer of The Jim Jones Revue has said that
their aim when performing is to ‘free everyone from the bullshit of their lives
and elevate them as much as we can…even if it’s just for an hour or two,’ a
simple sentiment, yet one to be admired.
Since The Jim Jones Revue arrived on the scene with their
self-titled debut album back in 2008, they have been both lauded as rock ’n’
roll revivalists and labelled one-trick ponies who simply replicate their
1950’s influences.
Then again, good rock ‘n’ roll was never meant to be
over-analysed, it was, and still is about escapism and having a good time and
TJJR deliver this by the bucket-load.
An expectant crowd in The Black Box tonight was instantly
initiated to their feral approach. Immaculately
adorned, they took to the stage, wasting no time by launching into Where Da
Money Go. Spitting his lyrics with a
level of bile deserving of the subject matter, Jones barks and growls, arms
flailing and gesturing, while his band pull shapes and shred their instruments
beside him.
The set for their rescheduled performance in The Black Box
tonight is largely comprised of songs from latest album The Savage Heart, along
with some old favourites. The Savage
Heart has seen them retain all of the brash and gusto from their first two
albums, whilst allowing room for refinement.
Amidst the supercharged bursts of rock ‘n’ roll are a couple of slow-burning mid-tempo songs that get a run-out tonight, allowing a busy Black Box audience just enough time to catch their breath before the next onslaught.
Chain Gang is one such song and a departure from their otherwise
raucous material. It is a more straightforward
stripped back blues rock song, albeit with underlying menace. It calls to mind Australian blues rockers
Beasts of Bourbon, particularly their cover of the infamous Rolling Stone song,
‘Schoolboy Blues/Cocksucker Blues.’
With the rest of the band backing him, Jones goes about business like the showman he is, cajoling audience members to join him, to varying degrees of success. Undeterred, the band pummelled the crowd with their set and had most of the audience dancing or singing by the end.
As seasoned rockers and a band known for their hard-working approach to touring they are well aware of the old adage, persistence pays.
The encore sees the band pulling out a few fan-favourites, with Rock ‘n’ Roll Psychosis and Elemental getting a run out, Jones vacating the stage at one point to enter the audience and shake things up a little more.
Few bands nowadays can stand toe-to-toe with TJJR as a live act, they have the attitude and rock ‘n’ roll bravado but more importantly they back it up with an ever-expanding arsenal of high-octane, feverish rock songs that rouse the spirit and dare you to join the ride.
https://www.facebook.com/DarkandDirtySounds
By Garrett Hargan
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