Jesus And Mary Chain perform backwards gig

Just two days after the Friday night carnage of The Specials, the same venue played host to another controversial 80s band. The Mary Chain were back with a vengeance.

The Kilbride 5-piece have left behind the rioting and having their backs turned to the crowds, but instead adopted a topsy-turvy, wall of sound gig.

The objective of the gig was to play the whole of Psychocandy. Singer Jim Reid announced that he didn't want to do an encore of other songs, he wanted Psychocandy to be the last thing people hear. So after a hand-full of songs that included Reverence, they walked off stage and reappeared a few minutes later to launch into their seminal album.

The gig was loud, it was aggressive, it was moody and it was sexy. The occasional nod to their working class, Scottish roots and Jim's monotoned, bassy vocals were lost in the fierce beating of the drums and the feedback of the guitar.

I'm not surprise Mary Chain gigs started riots. It got blood pumping to the parts of the brain that I thought had died. You left the gig with ringing ears, clenched fists and impassioned spirit.

First published November 2014