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Interview: Jesus Returns To Australia!

Yes fans, Jesus Jones who wowed us with their 90’s hit’s Right Here, Right Now and International Bright Young Thing, are headed back to Australia in March playing their hugely successful DOUBT album in full.

image007Yes fans, Jesus Jones who wowed us with their 90’s hits Right Here, Right Now and International Bright Young Thing, are headed back to Australia in March playing their hugely successful DOUBT album in full. The 90’s messiah’s of the Indie/Alternative Pop are coming as the original lineup, and frontman Mike Edwards was stoked to have a chat to Glam Adelaide’s Dazz Hassan about the trip and what he’s been up to in between.

“Every so often, someone asks us if we’d like to travel to somewhere really exotic and interesting, get paid for it, and play a load of music. We’d have to be idiots to say no! That’s what happens with touring these days, there’s no master plan or are we trying to make a comeback- it’s purely for fun. Coming back to Australia is just a dream.”

Formed in 1988, Jesus Jones were one of the most influential acts to come out of the era and pioneered a sound that blended house, techno and indie rock.

Their album Doubt combined these styles and coupled with the now immortalized anthem to the end of the Cold War, Right Here, Right Now, the band became a huge influence on many other groups that formed during the period. Edwards’ lyrics “I saw the decade in, when it seemed the world could change at the blink of an eye” were not only applicable to the song’s intention, but also flagged the emerging of a new era in music and fashion.

Edwards agrees, and adds that “it was purely the times we were in, there was a big revolution in music around the end of the 80’s. Techno and hip-hop were becoming popular and there was that incredible moment of cross-fertilization with bands like us, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Shamen…there was a lot of exciting stuff coming up. The question was how do you merge it all into one? It was very exciting watching it all come together.”

The genre and those who appreciated it the first time around, are going through a resurgence, with the aforementioned Carter USM and The Stone Roses regaining scores of new followers whilst retaining older ones. Original fans of the music styles were given the moniker of ‘grebo’s’, a word coined by Pop Will Eat Itself to describe the subculture and the fashions associated with it. Edwards though, never thought of Jesus Jones as having much to do with that moniker despite being labeled as such. “The whole ‘grebo’ attachment originally had nothing to do with us whatsoever. It came about through a group called Crazyhead from Leceister, and as I understand it was a local term used among school kids. They were with a label called Food, which we later joined, so we were tarred with the same brush really.”

Labels aside, Jesus Jones carved their own niche among the emerging acts of the 90s and have kept a loyal following over the years. Edwards says that he doesn’t think they have a newer fan base, but is more than happy with the loyalty of the band’s faithful followers of the past quarter of a century. “We have some new fans of course, but it’s mostly the same people that are coming back to listen to the songs that meant a lot to them 25 years ago- that’s great and there’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever! We’re seeing pretty much the same people at our gigs, only a little less hair and maybe a bit more around the middle (laughs), but it’s just people reliving those memories”. As a guy who grew up and was heavily influenced by this era of ever-changing music, I couldn’t agree more.

If you’ve ever wondered how musicians feel when they hear their own stuff on the radio, or out in public, Edwards says he’s still amazed by that surreal sensation. “It did feel a little like we were on a runaway train, and it was a train that we really wanted to be on. But when it happens you get caught in this moment of disbelief, when you really wanted it to be and it’s happening. It happened just after we signed our record deal in December 1988, and about 6 weeks later having gone from playing to 5 or 6 people in clubs, we were playing in London Clubs with queues around the block. We were thinking ’is that for us’? Fast forward weeks later and the release of Right Here, Right Now and there are more people lined up outside than could fit in. They surprised and terrified us.”

It really was the old adage of ‘be careful what you wish for because you may just get it’.

But it wasn’t all rock and roll for Edwards, who managed to forge a flourishing post-music career as a personal trainer. He has now given that away as he has successfully re-entered the music world where he belongs. Jesus Jones helped define the sound for a generation, and were a major influence on not only many other groups of the time, but also on fashion and the 90’s attitude.  They will be returning to Australia in March to perform the complete Doubt album with the original five members and if you missed them in the 90’s, don’t miss the chance to see them this time- right here, right now!

Interviewed by Darren Hassan

Twitter @DazzHassan

 

Watch the: JESUS JONES TOUR TRAILER

 

Catch JESUS JONES LIVE in Australia:   MARCH 2015

Tickets only $59.00 + booking fees and on Sale Now:

http://www.metropolistouring.com/tour.php?tour=2015_jesusjones

Thursday 12th March – The Zoo, Brisbane

Friday 13th March – Corner Hotel, Melbourne

Saturday 14th March – Factory Theatre, Sydney

Sunday 15th March – Rosemount Theatre, Perth.

 

 

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