Celebrating over four decades of noise-pop and shoegaze, The Jesus and Mary Chain show no signs of slowing down. I walked in blind and left spellbound; they triggered this uncanny feeling of “what is that song?” in every single track, only to then realise where you recognise it from – something from the 90s or early 2000s that couldn’t possibly be the same track. Your mind is away into a vortex of nostalgia, remembering the songs you know, comparing them to what you’re hearing, and wondering just how many groups The Jesus and Mary Chain have inspired over the years.
This shifted the whole experience away from standard gigs into something deeply therapeutic and much harder-hitting. One of the songs began quietly with a continuous, pulsing drone – the kind that permeates and hypnotises the brain. A steady frequency that shuts down an anxious or overthinking mind and gives you the space to focus fully on the music, rather than trivial distractions like what the weather will be doing or whether the traffic will be busy after the gig. A true night off.
Highlights included “Some Candy Talking”, which carried a plunky, chilled vibe that I’m sure inspired Kings of Leon, followed by lyrics that radiated a calm, laid-back air before some of the most intense and overpowering drumming blasted away all other sounds as the chorus lyrics battled to be heard over it, stirring a whole new wave of emotions. Guest vocalist Simone Butler, a seasoned festival fixture and Primal Scream bassist, brought gorgeous raw harmonies to “Venal Joy”. Then, just as you could almost have forgotten that you’re still in Glasgow, a dry joke filled in the blank between guitar changes before transcending us into the trippy, immersive shoegaze optical outro of “I Wanna Die” under spinning and rotating spotlights. Dare I say groovy?
Then came Hollywood Vampires: unadulterated rock royalty. Alice Cooper is the undisputed driving force of this band, commandeering the stage with a white top hat, cane, and his name on his belt buckle as if anyone could not know. The shock-rock veteran was always going to put on a good show; he’s been keeping audiences on their toes since the 70s and his style is truly immortal. Maybe that’s why they call themselves vampires? I’m just so glad they resisted the temptation to call themselves zombies (way overused!). Flanking our leather-clad, ruffle-shirted frontman complete with skull make-up was William Butcherson from Hocus Pocus – the hair, the suit, the posture… oh no, sorry, it’s just Joe Perry.
Cooper’s jokes about not sleeping for a thousand years while delivering nostalgic tracks like “I’m Eighteen” (complete with crutch) and a profoundly respectful yet wonderfully deadpan tribute in the form of “People Who Died” hit the mark. I know some of us fans get emotional about our fallen rock heroes during tributes, and tear-jerky songs are beautiful, but it’s very refreshing to hear one that makes you laugh – although I would have loved to have seen Chester’s name up there next to Cornell’s.
With so many classic tracks, I just couldn’t put my phone down, wanting to capture as many memories of the night as I could; stunningly atmospheric nights often leave my heart full but my brain depleted. By the time you reach the cloakroom you can’t remember anything about the show other than it was amazing, you’ve had a fantastic night, and your whole nervous system has been reset. But at the same time, I checked myself so many times about not wanting to experience the night purely through a phone screen.
That moment was Tommy Henriksen’s closing performance. Glasgow clearly loves Johnny Depp; fans roared declarations of love at him as he shyly waved back, as well as trying to hide from the band introductions by covering his head with a towel. Johnny gives such “I just want to immerse myself in music and hang out with my boys” energy, while Tommy is just as understated but has so much stage presence without even trying. He is striking on camera while all the time looking totally absorbed by his music, with so much concentration and energy in his face. After an entire hour of playing in the shadows, he stepped forward and blasted out a powerhouse performance of “Highway to Hell” that left the room wondering where on earth that came from – and that was before we’d even had time to recover from Johnny’s emotional delivery of “Heroes”.
I just want to say the hugest, heartfelt thank you to the Vampires for providing an outlet for music that I missed out on first time around because I was either too young or just didn’t get access to as a younger person, but have now had the live experience. Seeing the visuals and the names of our fallen rockers really brought together all the people who have inspired us as rock fans, worshipping them at a huge altar in the form of the OVO Hydro – complete with humongous vampire teeth. Chef’s kiss.
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Photos by Gary Cooper
Hollywood Vampires: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | youtube
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