Mystery Jets at JJ’s, Halifax College, 7/03/08

The Jets defy the rules of the quiet place.

Ah, the fickle world of a touring band! One minute you’re playing packed out shows full of the coolest kids dancing along to your songs. The next you’re headlining… JJ’s. It’s a confusing business.

York University’s indie kids came out in full force for Mystery Jets’ surprising campus performance, with people queuing for half an hour to become part of the least likely performance of the last decade. Capacity regulations and JJ’s unique vacuum of atmosphere meant that the show was a far cry from the band's early legendarily debauched Eel Pie Island gigs.

Usually they would be playing a show to a massive crowd, staying in a hotel and performing their new single with Laura Marling. This time they were playing to the lucky couple of hundred people who got there early enough, staying in a student room and performing their new single with, err… me. The sound kept going, the lighting was problematic (shrouding the venue in darkness was the only way to overcome it) and the band seemed very drunk indeed. Ripping through classics 'Alas Agnes', 'The Boy Who Ran Away', the newer, poppier 'Half in Love with Elizabeth' and upcoming single 'Young Love', Mystery Jets fully realised that they were downscaling their usual operation and had fun with the intimacy of the gig.

The very nature of listening to music, holding a CD, listening to the lyrics and feeling as though you are part of something is, quite obviously, key to the whole “experience” of how much you enjoy it. If you feel you are set apart from a band, or stick out like a sore thumb at a gig, your enjoyment is mitigated. And this is why my reviewing the gig is so problematic. I felt such a part of it that I loved it. Hopefully the section of the audience not pretending to be Laura Marling onstage with Mystery Jets (most of them) enjoyed the evening just a fraction of the amount that I did.

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.