Album Review: The Jaded Hearts Club – Live at the 100 Club
••• 100 Club •••
The world’s greatest cover band The Jaded Hearts Club play some of the world’s greatest songs at London’s famous 100 Club… What’s not to love?
Born from a 40th birthday party, The Jaded Hearts Club consist of Matt Bellamy (Muse), Graham Coxon (Blur), Miles Kane (The Rascals, The Last Shadow Puppets), Nic Cester (Jet), Sean Payne (The Zutons) and Jamie Davis. With such a star-studded line up, once briefly added to by a certain Paul McCartney, it’s no surprise that a live covers album can still bring something different to the table.
Beginning with cheers from the 100 Club crowd, instantly the album is reminiscent of when fun in a music venue was aloud. Album opener ‘Gloria’ (Patti Smith), with its nostalgic chugging guitars guiding Cester’s belting vocals, perfectly sets the tone for the rest of album.
The immediately recognisable riff of ‘Have Love With Travel’ (The Sonics) quickly comes next, led by Kane, whose voice seems tailored precisely to these vintage fun-filled anthems. Without taking a breath, the album moves onto an energetic ‘My Generation’, rivalling the many great covers of The Who classic before inevitably collapsing into a sonic mayhem.
The individual supremacy of the musicians on show is best exhibited on ‘Hey Bulldog’ (The Beatles), with Bellamy’s grooving bassline directing the song, almost taming Coxon’s free-riding guitar licks and Kane’s 60’s-esque wailing.
The album finally takes a breath during the head-nodding ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ (C.R.E.A.M). Completed by a psychedelic-tinged solo at the hands of Coxon, you can almost picture the front row of the intimate 100 Club watching with mouths open wide in amazement.
Closing with The Beatles’ heaviest song in ‘Helter Skelter’, the band once again kick back into life. With its extended outro, you really get the sense that for all the members of The Jaded Hearts Club this project is about having as much fun as possible, and the feeling is certainly mutual for listeners.
At just 10 songs long, perhaps the only negative about this album is that it leaves you wanting more. But, until we’re all crammed into a sweaty venue again, this is perhaps the closest thing we’re going to get to a good night out.
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