14 January 2011
A good way to tell a bit about a band is by the crowd it attracts. Not by the style of their clothes, as you may imagine, but by their age. Younger audiences generally only go for the truly original bands that aren’t of their generation, so when the majority of the audience would have been teenagers when the band was at their peak, you know the band can’t be hugely original. While the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion certainly aren’t pioneers of their genre, they put on a bloody good show, and are great at what they do.
Their set started out as more of an implosion, as fans surged forwards to get as close as they could to their heroes. Their music is easily defined as an explosion however, their slamming bass lines and ripping guitars crashing out the speakers like a roaring volcano, amping up the audience for what was to be a brilliant night. The acoustics in the Espy weren’t the best, but that hardly mattered to the audience, who were very obviously having a blast, shamelessly dancing to the music in an inebriated stupor.
Playing classics such as ‘Bellbottoms’ and ‘Afro’, as well as some of their newer stuff, the audience were treated to a wide array of the Explosion’s music, spanning their 20 year career. The boys were a bit more refined than they have been known to be in the past, but despite the tame set, they played with all the intensity you’d expect they’d have been playing with when they started out in 1991. Echoes of many a classic rocker could be heard throughout the night. Bo Diddley was there, as was Country Joe McDonald, as well as an assortment of other talking blues big cards.
As their one and a half hour set drew to a close, the band and the audience were sweating it out in a race to try outlast each other in the sweltering humidity. Drawing out the last track (as all great bands should), the audience stood in awe as the ash and fiery debris rained down, bringing this explosion to a mesmerising end. There was no devastating aftermath, perhaps a bit of a disappointment for those who were there to see some instruments being broken. As the philosopher said, however, all good things come to an end.
Ella Jackson
