The Jesus And Mary Chain Revive 'Psychocandy' In Brighton

Close to 30 years on, ‘Psychocandy’ retains its capacity to shock. While The Jesus And Mary Chain’s cacophonic debut has been imitated ceaselessly over the decades – influencing everyone from early shoegazing groups to the hazy, too-cool-to-smile alt-pop of today – no one has matched its air of barely-repressed chaos: of a band living on the verge of implosion.  But times have changed, and so have the Reid brothers.

While their early years were overshadowed by violence, instability, and those legendary fifteen-minute amphetamine blasts, it’s a far more professional Mary Chain who take the stage tonight. As part of the ‘Psychocandy’ anniversary tour, they’re playing the album in full at Brighton's Dome, alongside a handful of other choice cuts. To be frank it takes a few songs to adjust to their tighter, more precise delivery, accompanied by an array of retina-searing strobes. But as they rip through songs like ‘Some Candy Talking’ and ‘Reverence’ with apocalyptic fervour, it becomes evident that this change might be for the better; possessed of a mechanical intensity that evokes the best of industrial music.

And then, on to ‘Psychocandy’ itself. After a short break, the band (performing as a five-piece on this tour) return to the simplistic, yet unforgettable drum beat of ‘Just Like Honey’ , famously nicked from The Ronettes. To their credit, they play things straight and hard – avoiding the sometimes maudlin, often self-aggrandising rambles that accompany such performances, and letting the songs speak for themselves. While the feedback is deafening and songs like ‘Taste The Floor’ deliver a swift kick to the teeth, the beauty of the band’s songwriting is given more room to breathe - ‘Sowing Seeds’ incredibly poignant, and ‘You Trip Me Up’ insidiously catchy. Jim Reid is compelling at centre-stage, meanwhile, in fine voice and as enigmatic as ever. There’s little mystique to it, but with the backing of some eerie visual projections and impressive volume levels, they carry the day.

The Mary Chain’s Shangri-Las-meet-Velvet-Underground-in-hell fusion remains incredibly fresh, partially because of its fundamental simplicity. A good song never stops being a good song, and they always borrowed from the best. And while this is a fairly tame affair by their former standards, most in attendance seem swept up by the occasion – some revisiting their youth, others tapping into a new recess of music history. The Reid brothers are doing justice to their past, and it’s hard to begrudge them capitalising on the nostalgia buck. But the really interesting bit will be what comes next. Judging by what we’ve seen tonight,  they’ve got plenty of life in them yet.

For more info on The Jesus And Mary Chain
click here. Cheers to Johnny Hopkins Word by Rob Sayce

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