I can’t see anyone who would disagree with the statement that Jane’s Addiction are one of the bands most ingrained in the DNA of alternative music. So much so, that front man Perry Farrell is responsible for Lollapalooza… one of the world’s most iconic music festivals which still stands as an alternative Mecca.
A band that pulls so much weight that when they need musicians to stand in, they get members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns N Roses lining up. Present in the CD collection of every cool older brother and alt indie chick, tonight the classic lineup grace the Barrowlands stage.
The support for tonight is Humanist… A project that you could describe as experimental from the mind of Rob Marshall. Described as a rush of future Rock n Roll, the debut album featured members of Queens of the Stone Age, Depeche Mode, Portishead, and The Membranes. Admittedly, I don’t know who is on the stage tonight, but they’re not half bad. It’s heavy, stoner alt industrial grunge rock (you can come up with your own term for that) with alternating vocalists. One singer sounds a bit like Bono in parts, but not often enough for us to hold it against him. The sound is consistent and big. I’d imagine they’d be a hit with fans of The Cult and their brethren.
There’s little to no chat from Humanist between songs and that put the crowd in the position of being [metaphorically] told to stand there and listen. That’ll always create a barrier to really getting into the music. There’s no connection and we’re just stand there and get music blasted into our faces. Certain acts get a pass for that behaviour when the music is varied and loved already, but Humanist aren’t quite there yet.
Jane’s Addiction walk on to ‘Born Slippy’ which I’m imagining is an ode to Trainspotting and their own hat tip to the crowd. The second that the intro finishes, this becomes one of the loudest gigs I’ve ever been to. Immediately checking to see if I’d remembered to put in my ear protection (I go to a lot of shows… you should use them too), there’s a long musical introduction with the band silhouetted by backlighting where you can see the outline of some very fancy hats. A spotlight brings Perry Farrell out of the darkness as he sends reverb soaked shrieks into the crowd. Farrell is dressed to kill tonight, and although starting to look his age as he gingerly holds the mic, is killing it vocally. Hearing Perry Farrell sing live isn’t something I can describe with words. It’s so unique, and often breathtaking, that to have it happen a few feet in front of you is nothing short of a religious awakening.
Dave Navarro was often slagged for not being good enough for the Red Hot Chili Peppers back in the day, but tonight he played better and louder than the vast, vast majority of guitarists I’ve seen. Not only louder than the Big Bang while being able to keep an amazing tone; but his lead work is astounding. I know he’s often mentioned in top 100 lists put out by various magazines who claim to know guitarists, but he should be in everyone’s top 5 at least. Playing with an open faced cloak and sinister make up, you could be convinced that he just rode in on a black horse and his name was Death.
Farrell gives out a warm and friendly vibe as he walks across the stage, there’s humour in his banter and it’s clear that forming a quick connection with a crowd isn’t a problem for him. Bassist Eric Avery puts any stereotypes of bass players being static bores to bed with moves that rival Flea. Navarro is dripping with the same magic that you’d find on Slash or Hammett and can still pull off the topless-while-wearing-a-hat look. There’s two encores, finishing with ‘Been Caught Stealing’ and when the lights came up there were boos from the crowd (which I’m reliably told is a wind up on the audience’s part). We get ‘Mountain Song’, ‘Jane Says’, and ‘Stop’, which satisfies the casual fans amongst us.
Even if you’re not a diehard Jane’s Addiction fan, seeing something like this is bound to push you closer to that. You have the classic line up when so many bands from that era are just tributes to themselves, the band themselves look cool as fuck, and the music is like being in the middle of a barrage of heavy artillery. Other bands who hold the same “legendary” status have been playing arenas and stadiums in Glasgow for the past year, yet we get to see this happen in the Barrowlands. If you think about it too much you end up confusing yourself – just accept it’s happened and be glad it has.
Photos by Catching Light Photography