Jim Jones Revue 

Shoreditch Blues Kitchen
London EC2 

5/5

I’M PRETTY sure there are quite a few of you out there who would rather spend an evening watching hours and hours of Kenneth Clark talk about the history of civilisation than head deep into east London’s hipster-central Shoreditch for the sake of going to see a band — even if it’s a good live one. 

And the fact that the venue is the new Blues Kitchen, once home to Hoxton Bar and Grill — the epitome of Hoxton pretentiousness — makes the gig even more unappealing.

But the trip is worth it because the visceral, “punkabilly” Jim Jones Revue are not just a good live band. They’re a consistently excellent, adrenalin-pumping live band and well worth seeing — every where and time. 

Exploding onto the stage with songs from their 2012 album The Savage Heart, which isn’t as manic and raucous as their previous albums but by no means less thrilling, the slick and already sweaty band burst into Where Da Money Go? and 7 Times Around The Sun which electrify the crowd. 

But it’s probably Who’s Got Mine and Meat Man that really get the crowd excited, with Rupert Orton thrashing his guitar and the breathtakingly brilliant Henri Herbert pounding the piano. 

This is a band who will not only make you fall in love with rock’n’roll but with every instrument they hammer and word Jim Jones roars. 

And as they’ve just announced their premature decision to end the band, if you can catch them while you can on their final tour this autumn, then do so — without hesitation.

Indianna Purcell