IF the influence of the Jesus and Mary Chain has been extensive in
their 10-year history, then Drugstore are an appropriate support act,
inheriting many of the influences and mannerisms of the formative Mary
Chain.
Asides from a shared love of the Velvet Underground, this manifests
itself in an uneven and at points chaotic set. Fresh from a successful
Glastonbury appearance, it was reasonable to expect a band at their
peak, this show coming on the back of constant and productive touring.
If it looked promising early on, when they incorporated Starcrossed
and Devil from their awesome debut album, then it began to fall apart on
their cover of the Flaming Lips Vaseline, careering downhill into an
indulgent solitary party groover.
By contrast, the headliners exhibited many of the qualities Drugstore
lacked. Picking on what, by their own standards, was a crowd-pleasing
selection from all stages of their career, the one-hour, song-packed set
did much to display the sheer quantity of good songs written by the Reid
brothers across their five albums.
Singles like Sidewalking, Happy When It Rains and the more recent Come
On were the high points, and if the idea of a sing-along, clap-along
Mary Chain gig seemed improbable in 1985, then powered by excellent
playing and having been honed in US arenas, it is happening in 1995.
Not that they have changed all that much; the lyrics remain ensconced
in druggy, rock 'n' roll cliche, making the encore of their recent
single I Hate Rock 'n' Roll even more resonant.
They may claim that ''rock 'n' roll hates me'' but without one the
other could not exist. Without the bland mediocrities they serve as an
antidote to, the Jesus and Mary Chain would have lost their relevance
some time ago.
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