Quite simply, The Jesus & Mary Chain are a band who, if ever the label was deserved, can be described as ‘seminal‘.
Their sparse, dark, and enthralling sound heralded a new era in rock’n’roll when they burst into the public gaze way back in 1983.
Now, 34 (gulp) years later, and out on the road again with new material – the first fresh studio album since 1998 (also available on cassette) – the Reid brothers have rekindled an old flame in the hearts of early fans. However, they’ve managed to remain relevant in the contemporary scene, and their appeal reaches out to the ears of new disciples as strongly as it ever did in their early days.
Damage and Joy
When news of the new album broke last year there was genuine excitement, and the music press were quick to whet the appetites of music lovers with the hope that the Reid’s would manage that sometimes impossible feat of recapturing their early passion.
The result of that wait was ‘Damage and Joy’ – a record that is as broodily uplifting as anything the band have put out before, and stands up to listen after listen.
On tour
And, to showcase the new material live, the band are back on the road, working their way through a string of headline tour dates, plus a slew of festival appearances.
Their homecoming show at the BBC 6 Music Festival was a true tour-de-force…a spellbinding set of songs that proved the band’s live incarnation is just as strong as it ever was.
From Scotland, the band slide south – hitting London on 5 April, but finishing up their mainland headline dates right on the coast at Bexhill’s beautiful De Le Warr Pavillion before heading over to Ireland and Europe.
A few tickets (remarkably) are still on sale for a few of these dates, so grab your chance to witness one of those bands who, if you miss seeing them live, you’ll regret to the end of days.
23rd March   Northumbria Uni
25th March   Manchester Academy
27th March   Leeds Church
28th March   Leicester, O2 Academy
29th March   Bristol, O2 Academy
31st March   Birmingham, O2 Institute
1st April   Bournemouth,O2 Academy
2nd April   Oxford, O2 Academy
3rd April   Cambridge Junction
5th April   London, O2 SBE
6th April   Bexhill On Sea/De La Warr Pavillion
7th April   Academy, Dublin
8th April   Limelight 1, Belfast
18th April   Belgium Brussels Ancienne Belgique
19th April   Holland Amsterdam Paradiso Main Hall
20th April   Germany Darmstadt Central Station
21st April   Germany Hamburg Fabrik
23rd April   Denmark Copenhagen
24th April   Germany Berlin Huxley
25th April   Germany Cologne Music Hall
27th April   France Paris L’Elysee Montmartre
29th April   BARCELONA, Razzmatazz
30th April   MADRID, Riviera
29th Sept   Looe Music Festival, Cornwall UK
You can also catch Th Jesus & Mary Chain at Looe Music Festival, End of the Road, and Electric Fields.
