Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind channel the spirit of Detroit rock - Newcastle gig reviewed

They may well hail from the gold paved streets of London, but Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind's spirit burns with the fires of downtown Detroit circa 1969, such is the raw energy and incendiary ferocity of their live show.
Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind at The Cluny. Pic: Mick Burgess.Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind at The Cluny. Pic: Mick Burgess.
Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind at The Cluny. Pic: Mick Burgess.

Rising from the ashes of the Jim Jones Revue, they take those Jerry Lee Lewis rock 'n' roll influences, sandblast them with granite and wrap them up in a psychedelic cloak before stamping on them with a pair of winkle pickers etched with the names of MC5 and The Stooges.

Their smooth lounge lizard/Milk Tray man image, with matching black polo neck sweaters, was at odds with their firestorm sonic frenzy of Attack of The Killer Brainz, the piano slam of Shazam, the tribal drums of Till It's Gone, the gothic psychobilly of Satan`s Got His Heart Set On You and the funky cold medina drive of Sex Robot, all shaking the foundations of The Cluny in Newcastle to its very core.

Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind at The Cluny. Pic: Mick Burgess.Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind at The Cluny. Pic: Mick Burgess.
Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind at The Cluny. Pic: Mick Burgess.
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They bravely took Wilson Pickett`s soul classic I Found Love and recast it in their own image, producing a perfect example of how to cover someone else`s song. Pickett would surely approve.

Not quite sure where to go when you've hit 10 and need to go one higher? Jones and fellow guitarist Mal Troon took the show right into the heart of the crowd to give them that very answer before climbing back on stage for the gospel chant of Hold On and the knockout blow of Alphash*t.