Jim Jones All Stars | X Ray Cat Trio
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
9th October 2024
The rock’n’roll rollercoaster that is Jim Jones All Stars has been unleashed once again on the UK as they roar into the iconic confines of one of the UK’s premier independent music venues in Leeds at the start of their latest tour. Ian Corbridge caught the full force for Louder Than War as this unstoppable machine delivers yet another storming set in front of a fervent crowd who these days expect nothing less from this finely honed unit.
Following on from the release of Jim Jones All Stars debut album Ain’t No Peril, which was Louder Than War’s Album Of The Week back in September 2023, and the UK and European tour that immediately followed it, the All Stars enjoyed a memorable start to 2024 with a prestigious support slot for The Black Crowes. This tour transported them to much larger venues far and wide across European landscapes, undoubtedly adding further to their ever-expanding fanbase. But now it’s time for the UK to get a full shot of this beautifully crafted rock’n’roll liqueur as they head out on an extensive tour, ironically titled the We’re All Billionaires Now! tour, calling in at the wonderful Brudenell Social Club in Leeds.
Alongside Jim Jones on vocals and guitar, this powerhouse unit includes his constant companion on bass, Gavin Jay, another former Jim Jones Revue stalwart, Elliot Mortimer on piano and keyboards, guitarist Carlton Mounsher, drummer Aidan Sinclair, Ali Jones on backing vocals and percussion and the beast of a tenor/ baritone sax attack of Stuart Dace and Tom Hodges. With such collective talent on stage, there is little wonder that expectations remain so high even before a note is played. Add into that an impressive back catalogue of songs that Jim has to draw on, a bunch of new songs that the band are road testing for their next album, and the inevitable covers of stellar songs which the band draw on from the rich musical heritage that has inspired their sound and you get a crowd bristling with excitement at the very thought of what is to follow.
But before we get to the All Stars, we enjoy a set by Leeds very own surf punks X Ray Cat Trio who bring us their very own style of 50’s rockabilly, gritty 60’s garage and trashy 70’s punk rock. Starting with the cryptically entitled Sir Garwain & The Green Knight, this epic blast of classic surf guitar immediately captures the attention of the gathering crowd, and all ears are directed towards the stage. Their garage rock credentials come to the fore with both Morticia and In The Mausoleum with a hint of power pop creeping into Haunted Man.
Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Night (as if to emphasise a point!) really gets the joint jumping with its stomping beat and rockabilly rhythms whilst Now That You’re Gone gives us some respite with its slow, melancholy vibe. The fact that the beautifully crafted rockabilly instrumental Ram Riders is dedicated to Link Wray tells us everything we need to know about this band who are definitely one to catch live if you can, with the prospect of a new album hopefully appearing in 2025.
And so, with our dancing shoes already warmed up, Jim Jones All Stars stride confidently onto the stage and immediately open the set with a wonderfully funked-up cacophony of nose as Drink Me exploits the soul-infused vibes of James Brown to great effect. The saxes are wailing, the drums are pounding, the keys are twinkling, the base is rumbling and the guitars are roaring and it feels like the gates of rock’n’roll heaven have opened up for us all. With barely a pause for breath, this is immediately followed by Burning Your House Down, an incendiary blast of primal rock’n’roll from the Revue catalogue which features Carlton’s ripping guitar strokes and the stage front dual sax attack of Stuart and Tom.
Gimme The Grease keeps the saxes up front and centre as Aidan keeps hold of the rudder on a monstrous beat from behind the kit as the funk and soul vibe kicks into overdrive. The unstoppable force of the All Stars is already in full swing and there ain’t no turning back now. The first choice cover of the night comes through Don Gardner’s 60’s soul and R&B classic Baby Likes To Boogaloo which simply makes the dancefloor move with its primal rhythms and the dancing saxes. Parchman Farm Blues then plunders Bukka White’s shuffling delta bluesy beat dating back to the 40’s with Stuart again taking the lead on tenor sax.
Let U Go is the first of the new songs which the band are working on, with the prospect of a new album looming large in early 2025, and its one which simply drips with soul-fired power before it segues seamlessly into the Revue’s rock’n’roll stomper that is Cement Mixer. As usual, this prompts a big sing-a-long with the line “here we go, nice and slow” alongside the crunching backbeat of the song.
1000 Fire Horns is another new one which promises to evolve into an epic rocker before we head straight back into the old-school rhythm and blues of I Want You (Any Way I Can) from the latest album. It’s another song in which blistering guitars, pounding drums and twinkling keys all work in perfect harmony. And with barely a pause, the theme continues with the swampy blues of new song Make It Rain which explodes into a roaring duel between the twin guitar attack and the two saxes, with Gavin’s solid bass holding the beat steady as it morphs seamlessly into another new song, Cat Fight. These are all probably working titles at the moment but whatever they end up being called, the next album is shaping up very nicely indeed.
Evil Eye stretches the sonic boundaries of the band as they groove and grind before we are subsumed with the dark and demonic vibes of the somewhat lyrically updated version of the Righteous Mind’s Satan’s Got His Heart Set On You, with it’s gospel-infused rhythm dominated by Gavin’s driving bass, Elliot’s rolling keys and the twin saxophone attack featuring once again. Tom even ventures into the depths of the audience with his baritone sax to keep everyone very much on their toes. And as the amps continue to boom, Troglodyte simply oozes with the monstrous groove of dirty funky caveman rock through this cover of a song by the Jimmy Castor Bunch dating back to the early 70’s.
Some brief rock’n’roll respite is offered with a sublime snatch of Lee Dorsey’s The Greatest Love from the mid-60s which oozes charm. But that doesn’t last long before Aidan takes us over into the dark side with a scorching version of the Revue’s Rock’n’Roll Psychosis before Elliot leads us into a high-velocity take of the epic Princess And The Frog which always brings the house down. The main set rounds off with a simply triumphant version of Shakedown, the psychedelic garage rock classic from Thee Hypnotics which is an evangelical mix of all that was great about the likes of the MC5, the Stooges and The Cramps.
But of course, with the adrenalin pumping and the sweat still rolling, no one is ready to go home yet and the band are drawn back on stage for another couple of songs. A joyous cover of The Beatles’ Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey captures the spirit perfectly before an incendiary version of the Revue’s 512 closes the evening in the only way possible as complete mayhem reigns on stage with arms aloft throughout the venue.
Tonight in Leeds we have just witnessed the best rock’n’roll band in the UK performing in the finest independent venue in the UK. Jim Jones All Stars are a true force of nature whose blend of soul-infused incendiary rock’n’roll truly knows no boundaries and destroys all those in its path. Absorbing such a wealth of classic influences from all that has gone before and creating a whole new legacy to take forward into the future, there is little doubt that in the hands of Jim Jones All Stars, the future of rock’n’roll is secure and we can look forward with immense excitement to what their next album has to offer in 2025.
Jim Jones All Stars describe themselves as a self-confessed “bubbling swamp curse of unholy rhythm” which captures their soul and spirit in a nutshell. They are on tour in the UK right here, right now……do not miss them!
You can find The Jim Jones All Stars on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and their website.
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All words and photos by Ian Corbridge. You can find more of his writing at his author profile here.
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