Now
that's a long way to play a gig, a very long way. Hailing from as south as they
come, The Isle Of Wight's newest (and perhaps only) rock n’ roll band, Jackson
Analogue played to a rafter-packing audience at Newcastle’s Digital last
night. Bashing out songs from their soon to be released EP 'West of Here',
the quintet provided an old school, full-throttle assault with lead-out track,
‘Out Of Reach’ to a crowd that was literally tappin’ and a buzzin’ to the new
Jackson Analogue beat. ‘Course it had a bit of the MC5s about it, but it was a
solid enough introduction, and like all of their songs that evening it had that
quarter-pounder rhythm section you could have lifted from just about any other
garage rock band currently worth their weight in denim. It was, in all fairness,
about as original as a gag from 'Everybody Loves Raymond' but somehow it did the
business. By the looks of it, the 200 or so strong audience that were there,
were there for ‘Stone Love’, a weekly student night in Newcastle that packs in
more punters than you can throw at a large dartboard, and although it's an ideal
setting for a new band to gain a couple more notches on the post of their gently
swelling fanbase, the clichéd ‘had girl, lost girl’ dialogue thrown-up by ‘Disco’
has heads drifting to other things; like whose turn it is to go to the bar and
get the drinks in – an issue that puts a question-mark on Jim Home’s songwriting
and his decision to lend his throaty Chris Cornell/Mark Lanegan vocals to dreary
acoustic ballads. Most large, bearded men can cut a commanding stage-presence,
but having an audience glued to your performance through abject fear alone is
a poor substitute for entertainment, as arresting as it all is. The basic kick
beats and limp-wristed snare activity put together by brother Rob fails lift things
either, inviting us on a one-way trip to boredom. But hey, that’s what happens
when you try to play acoustic songs like Led Zeppelin but end up sounding like
a boyband. The most impressive song performed tonight is 'His Red Hand',
a throbbing, vivacious stormer whose pounding ‘Mars Volta’ mannerisms goes down
well with the now very drunk and hyper audience. Big fellas, big guitars, big
sound, big time. And by this stage, buoyed on by the crowd, the energy from the
band is electric. End result? A song that should be a mainstay on their set list
for a very long time to come. The only real challenge for the listener
tonight, however, is the strangely titled, 'Moody Man Left', providing a great
name for a socialist jazz saxophonist on the one hand and a dead-ringer for Radiohead
on the other. Some brilliantly layered Hammond from ‘the beast’ and some intimidating
guitar work leading naturally to a big build whose crescendo simply fades before
it ever has a chance to explode. It fizzles out and we’re left frustrated, crying
off into the night at the thought of what could have been. What should have been.
With a big tour and the Isle Of Wight festival appearance ahead, Jackson
Analogue desperately need to find more original, thought-provoking material or
unfortunately they could see themselves fall by the wayside, ending up on a rock
and roll scrap-heap that they have the big fat, burly potential, at least, to
avoid. Relevant sites:
http://www.jacksonanalogue.com
Matt Diner for Crud Magazine 2006©
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