After a storming gig at the O2 Ritz in Manchester, the Mumble caught with the Jesus Jones frontman
What is the origin story of Jesus Jones?
It was a snowball effect from the end of the 70s when drummer Gen and I were at school together. Bass player Al was the first person of relevance to stick, joining us in the early 80s, guitarist Jerry next and keyboard player Iain in the summer of ’88, just before we signed our record deal with Food Ltd in December of that year.
How did the 1980s soundscape affect your own band’s sound?
In two ways: firstly as a desire to reflect what I perceived as the really interesting new music appearing at that time – namely Acid House and its ensuing variants, and hip-hop. Secondly, as a sort of reaction against the type of rock music that was restricted by its own traditions but also combining that with new music in a quest for originality, something I’d always placed a lot of value on.
Who are the coolest folk you’ve met in the Halls of Fame & why?
For me, and bear in mind I’m probably the least gregarious of the band, we have a long standing relationship with Japanese mega star, guitar hero and absolutely lovely man, Hotei. Aside from him, most notably it would be Seal. An lovely guy, an amazing singer and a huge songwriting talent. Tours that we have done in the past and continue to do now, with the likes of The Wonder Stuff, PWEI, EMF –those are always guaranteed good times and in a very large way because of the people involved. To be honest, you’d probably find more interesting answers from the rest of the band though.
After the band ended the first time round, what was the energy which brought it back together?
In part the fact that the band never ended in the first place! There are always a number of reasons why you stop hearing from a band, why they disappear from the public eye, but ours had nothing to do with splitting up or giving up. For while, and I’m talking about a decade or so at the start of the century, there wasn’t really much for us to do, not much in the way of offers. Getting new management, one with an eye towards getting us busy again has probably been the single most important factor in our visibility increasing, given that none of us had any desire to stop being in a band together.
Of all the songs you’ve written, which are the three that mean the most to you?
It’s an obvious answer but Right Here Right Now not just because of its commercial success but because when I wrote it it was one of the few songs that I thought I had nailed. Similarly predictably, Info Freako because it blew the doors off the hinges for us and still remains one of the most exciting songs in the set to play. I’m going to struggle to limit it to 3 but finally I would say Idiot Stare from the Perverse album because it’s an epic moment on that record, an epic moment live, the producer made it sound amazing, and I was pretty happy, with it from a creative point of view.
Can you tell us about the ‘World’s Smallest Tour’ era?
It’s really a title that we’ve bent to fit what we’re doing, rather than a planned enterprise. These days we’re very open to just popping off to some far-flung part of the world to play a show and once you’ve done that a few times you may as well call it a tour! Besides, it makes us feel grandiose again!
What’s it like juggling families with rock & roll?
I’m always suspicious of juggling families, not least because you can never trust little kids to keep the balls in the air. That aside, it used to be very straightforward when our career was all important and so we could be dictatorial about it. These days I’m certainly not the only one who has to run decisions through a small committee. I’m entirely happy with that, as I think everyone else is, and it’s also good in that it helps us establish which of the shows that we really feel we should play. I don’t think that being in a family with someone who goes on tour is all that different from being in a family where one person’s job takes them away occasionally and has them leading wacky hours sometimes. Mind you, you’d have got a very different answer 30 years ago.
What ‘new’ music do you listen to these days?
The best album of least the last decade, probably this century is Beach Day by Another Sky, an absolutely incredible band. I listen to that album every day. As I always have done, I listen to a wide range of stuff: old or new, guitar-based or programmed etc. If I dig out my 2024 playlist I can give you the last five selections; Acrylic by Tourist and Gold Panda. Lo by Hiatus featuring Malahat Haddad. Attaway by Phantogram. Sympathy is a knife by Charli XCX and Cud by Bardo Pond.
What is the band up to in 2024?
Being really busy! I’m most of the way through a new album which is shaping up really excitingly given that latterly my goal has been to try and write the occasional song that sounds nothing like Jesus Jones. That’s quite a challenge after 40 years of writing songs. We’re also playing all over the place but I guess that given there are only a few weeks of the year left, the upcoming dates with the EMF are most notable. Also, we get to finish playing live for the year in what for most of the band is a local show, in Surrey – that one’s in the middle of November.
What’s the creative chemistry like between the band members four decades in?
Plexiglass dividers on stage, separate transport to the shows from our separate hotels, contractually-fixed no-eye contact or verbal exchanges … well, that would be the interesting version. The truth is a lot more tediously pleasant. There is very little pressure on us these days and we’ve all been through a lot together so it’s really just like going on holiday with old friends. In fact, it IS going on a holiday with old friends!
How did you get involv’d with EMF?
We’ve known them since the height of our heydays so at this point we’re kind of in inextricably linked. It’s hard to say where the entangled roots originate.
& finally, what have we to expect from your live shows this Autumn?
I’m probably the worst person to ask this question of, although I will say we realise why people come and see us and we always make a point of giving people what they would expect from one of our shows. That said, the last time I read any comments about one of our shows, it appears that we are, and I quote “surprisingly rocky”, as well as all the factually accurate reports about us being an extremely good live band.
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