FROM THE JAM & THE SELECTER
Reading Hexagon.
The Reading Hexagon has some rigorous yet friendly and fair Covid checks that all attendees must go through before gaining entrance to the venue. It may well be of a bit of a ball ache queuing in freezing January temperatures, but these necessary (and peace of mind for many) steps are a small price to pay for an entire evening of five star live entertainment.
The Selecter 2022 are a well-oiled and well-drilled 2-Tone infused machine, and tonight, they get a busy Hexagon happily shuffling in their loafers. The front ‘n’ centre duo of Pauline Black and Gaps Hendrickson must have struck a deal with Satan because the ageing process that slaps us all at some point seems to be on permanent furlough for these 2-Tone originals. The band behind faultlessly helped to deliver the immortal hits ‘Three Minute Hero’, ‘Missing Words’, ‘James Bond’ and ‘Too Much Pressure’ to rapturous early applause. There is, however, a slight pause to proceedings when an excited punter shouts out for Bad Manners tune. Pauline Black tells him, with a wry smile, to check his history and cue a knowledgeable round of good-natured applause. ‘Celebrate The Bullet’, ‘Danger’ and the full on, skank inducing ‘On My Radio’ wraps up another high energy Selecter masterclass.
From The Jam are the perfect Friday night band. Yes, it’s nostalgic, and yes, there is an abundance of middle-aged men dressed in dapper MOD garb out on the pop, but so what. If the last two years have taught us anything (apart from the prominent Boris jokes), then it’s to get out, when safe to do so and have some much-needed out-out recreation. The Jam’s fifth studio album, ‘Sound Affects,’ is being celebrated in full tonight alongside some of The Jam’s numerous seminal chart toppers. The superlative From The Jam are straight out of the traps with a bouncing ‘Pretty Green’ and a full-bloodied ‘That’s Entertainment’. The set flies by as ‘But I’m Different Now’, ‘Start’ and ‘Town Called Malice’ all still sound beautifully angry, fresh and frustratingly relevant.
The head and chest thump of ‘Butterfly Collector’ is an unbridled Jam classic is performed with so much heart that you can almost hold it in your arms. The finale, including a singular encore, ticks all the best of boxes, and the apparent joy these massive tunes bring is still deeply inhaled and held in the lungs like honey-kissed nicotine. ‘Strange Town’, ‘David Watts’, ‘Saturday’s Kids’, ‘Eton Rifles’ and ‘Down In A Tube Station At Midnight’ are all sung loud, proud, and word for word by a bustling (and at times pogoing) floor section. The final trio of ‘In The City’ a transfixing ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Going Underground’, completes another life-affirming night in the respectful and rocking company of some of the most significant slices of popular music ever f*cking written.
Words by Guy Shankland.
All photos by Benji Walker.
The tour continues fro a full list of dates head over to https://www.fromthejamofficial.com/
and/or https://theselecter.net/
