"Is this acoustic guitar on? No déjà vu now, come on..." Anthony Reynolds is berating his sound man, presumably remembering the severe problems at the last London gig in March. Jack gigs have been rare occurrences in recent years so it's doubly frustrating when there are problems. But this one, despite some confusion and a sound that remains distinctly muddy, gets off the ground with an old favourite from The Jazz Age, My World Versus Your World, and rewards an enthusiastic audience with a fine set.
This was my first chance to hear songs from the new album The End of The Way It's Always Been performed live, and they stood up well. The two most experimental tracks from the album - the title track and The Emperor of New London were (not surprisingly) missing, as both rely on voice-overs by guests (Kirk Lake and Dan Fante respectively), but the rest of the album got a good work-out.
Reynolds and long-time collaborator Matthew Scott remain at the heart of Jack, with a new coterie of band members to support them, making a seven-piece in all. Simon Phipps contributes some fine guitar, Joel Jardine is on bass, with Fiona Brice on violin (lovely intro to Sometimes) and backing vocals. Paul Cook on drums and Julian Simmons on keyboards complete the ensemble, "the best, and my favourite band I've been with," says Reynolds. They didn't always produce a polished sound on the tiny stage at Metro but there was certainly plenty of energy.
The same was true of Anthony Reynolds, who can be mesmerising if he's had precisely the right amount of alcohol to get over the nerves. Too much, and it can be just too nerve-wracking for everyone else. We were in luck. The sultry voice was well oiled and he seemed to be relaxed and enjoying himself, despite the technical hitches and the usual irritating noise from people at the bar, which is particularly close to the stage in this venue.
After a rousing version of Sleepin' Makes Me Thirsty and an impassioned Maybe My Love Doesn't Answer Anything In You Any More (does this win the record for the longest song title?) there was a thoroughly seductive That's The Way We Make It and a beautiful Sometimes. It was back to a couple of old favourites to end the set - Lolita Elle and the always-fabulous drama of Nico's Children, and the band left the stage to a pleasing roar for more. We only got one encore, but it was perhaps the highlight of the evening: the epic No North Left, a sprawling journey of a song that makes you remember, if you were in any danger of forgetting, why you love Jack.
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