Review: Jesus Jones, the Wonder Stuff, Clouds @ Tivoli
For much of the crowd, it was a trip down memory lane as bands Jesus Jones, the Wonder Stuff and Clouds took to a Brisbane stage for the first time in years.
Starting the evening off with a bang was on-again-off-again Sydney outfit, Clouds. The voices of Jodi Phillis and Trish Young were a nostalgic kick that wooed many members of the audience, especially with tracks Heironymous and Cloud Factory.
Following the footsteps of Clouds, The Wonder Stuff (or what was left of them) took to the stage. With practically only singer Miles Hunt as the original band, the band was tight and if you closed your eyes, it was almost as if you were listening to them play over 10 years ago. Hunt has certainly not aged gracefully, but his rugged look matched his mannerisms as they smashed out track after track of British past-times.
Finally, Jesus Jones were up. Having seen their biggest success in the early nineties, the group performed to an audience eager to relive what was, for many, an important part of their musical bringing-up. It was set to be a memorable set from the beginning, but for someone who was barely born for a considerable chunk of their discography – I feel I can hardly comment on what the experience was like to see them live from those in the crowd. As they took to the Tivoli stage, however, the reactions from the crowd couldn’t be interpreted in any other way except for sheer elation. For me, this gig was all about experiencing a sense of nostalgia vicariously through the people around me.
Definitely one for the die-hard fans, the set predominantly featured b-sides and some of their lesser-known tracks. The limit of my musical knowledge was pretty much at capacity after International Bright Young Thing (third song) but that couldn’t stop me from enjoying the unabashed exuberance and energy the band were delivering in each track. Jesus Jones were some of the original hipsters (independently releasing tracks that ultimately settled nicely into the charts), and haven’t lost any of their self-indulgent nature – riling up the crowd to no end. It’s interesting that from the get-go singer Mike Edwards always believed that his band were about creating a path for the future of modern music, and to be honest they’re not wrong. Watching the set, I saw elements of musical style that is commonplace today (electric mixers, sampling) and it’s obvious that they hard some part in “bridging the gap” between the typical eighties sound and more of the indie pop-rock style that we see today.
Of course, it would hardly been worth it if it were not to see their most acclaimed hit song – Right Here Right Now. Bigger than the song itself, this track found a place in society that saw it being added to the eternal memory banks of people on an international scale. I have to say, they did it justice, and it surely marked the occasion of a mass simultaneous bucket-list alteration for a slew of watching fans.