FOXTON AND HASTINGS ROLL BACK THE YEARS AND SUCCUMB TO THE BEAT SURRENDER
It was another night to turn back the clock for a jam-packed crowd at the famous Barrowland Ballroom on Saturday as two of the biggest names in the British punk and new wave movement joined forces to thrill an audience, young and old and prove once and for all the great music will always stand the test of time.
First up were The Buzzcocks. Formed in Manchester in 1976 by Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley, they were one of the biggest names in the Punk music scene until they split in 1981. After reforming in 1989, the band carried on to have a further six album releases and when original lead singer Shelley died in 2018, guitarist Steve Diggle carried on the band and took over front man duties. Tonight’s set would see a mix of hits, album tracks and some new material, but the fans really acknowledged the major songs such as What Do I Get, Promises, Ever Fallen in Love and Harmony In My Head. A great hour of music from the band, and a perfect warm up for the evening ahead.
From The Jam were created after singer Russell Hastings’ band The Gift, which included original Jam drummer Rick Buckler recruited bassist Bruce Foxton back in 2007 and toured the UK to sell out audiences all over. Fifteen years, a few drummer changes and a couple of health scares later, the band carry on with Hastings a more than able front man in the Paul Weller role with Bruce Foxton, from The Jam (geddit?) still showing what a top musician he is.
As the lights were cut, and the opening of intro tune Circus started, the crowd were up for it. The thumping bass line of first track ‘Pretty Green’ made your trousers vibrate on the sprung floor, and the first ‘oi’s’ of the evening exploded in the air. ‘To Be Someone’ from The Jams third album “All Mod Cons” followed before ‘Start!’, the bands second number one from 1980. The setlist for the evening had many of the band’s top tracks and crowd favourites, and also managed to squeeze in a new track from recent record “The Butterfly Effect”, ‘Luna’, which went down very well with the Glasgow audience.
If you had to keep every fan happy the band would be onstage until a week on Wednesday, however most bases were covered with the likes of ‘David Watts’, ‘That’s Entertainment’, ‘Town Called Malice’ ‘Strange Town’ and debut single from 1977, ‘In The City’. The atmosphere was electric and the 1900 capacity venue was like a cauldron. After taking a short break they returned to the stage for three more tracks, arguably the top three Jam tunes written by Paul Weller and certainly among the fan’s favourites. ‘The Eton Rifles’, ‘Down in The Tube Station at Midnight’ and closing the evening, the bands first of four number one singles, when singles actually meant something, ‘Going Underground’. They took their bows and the evening was done.
For the main members of both bands, the years may be creeping along but they show no signs of retiring yet, and on tonight’s evidence long may that continue. The Buzzcocks gave a great account of themselves, and their top tunes sounded great live. As for From The Jam it was yet another polished performance from the front man Russell Hastings who definitely knows his way around a Rickenbacker and Bruce Foxton showing as he always does the reasons why he is regarded as one of the top bass players of his generation. Mike Randon on drums keeps things ticking along in the percussion department.
A great evening of nostalgia, with more than a few in the crowd reliving a (mis-spent) youth once again, but as everyone agreed on the way out, those really were the days. As a 21-year-old Paul Weller wrote in a cold, damp flat one day in Pimlico – THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!!
Review and Photographs by Stephen Wilson
