JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
London Brixton Academy 11th April 2002
It's been a long time since I last saw Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, supporting the Beastie Boys in Belfast circa 1995. Nowadays they're able to headline huge venues on their own, although their three piece line-up is still committed to raw, lo-fi fucked-up blues.
One thing that has changed since then is the musical landscape. Jon Spencer has inspired a lot of bands over the years, and now the likes of the Strokes, White Stripes and the Hives are the Blues Explosion without the ironic nods to the blues of the past. They're bigger as well.
On paper this would be a perfect time for JSBX to show people exactly where a lot of this "new" music comes from, however their new album 'Plastic Fang' is a big disappointment, and unfortunately it makes up a lot of the material in the early part of this show. I mean, the songs are fine, but they're veering away from the wilder earlier material towards a much more Rolling Stones-style RnB. If anyone was looking for theremin inspired flights of improvisation think again, as Jon hardly even touches it. Ordinary is the word I'm looking for, and it's not a word I would have expected to use when describing Jon Spencer and co.
They still play brilliantly of course, Juddah Bauer's powerhouse drumming backing up Spencer and Simmins guitars. Someone tells me that the first time he saw this lot he couldn't see the stage too well and he swore that they had two drummers! Songs from 'Now I Got Worry' and 'Acme' pop up towards the latter part of the set, but Spencer frustrates the older fans by only playing early material in a kind of medley (like 'Flavor for instance). It's a real tease because you know that they could step it up a notch and please everyone.
When Jon does go into showman mode during the encores he starts shouting "I am the king" you only half believe him. His 'Elvis-on-speed' routine is what most of the crowd have come for, although it seems a little tired and feels like a throwback to mid-90s Blues Explosion.
White-boy blues is everywhere these days, and with the White Stripes keeping things fresh (fast, raw, and with GOOD SONGS!) JSBX look a bit out of touch. I wonder what they're going to do next.
