The Jim Jones Revue, Norwich Waterfront

Much as we here in the Norwich Owl nest are looking forward to Tom Vek's new direction and have been blown away by Radiohead's brave latest venture (actually that's not true.  Either make a proper record Thom and co., or go away), there is nothing we like more than a good bit of honest, kick-ass rock n roll.  And so it is that we have converged on the Waterfront to check out the Jim Jones revue, confident that the traditional use of strings and keys will bring plenty of saturday night thrills.  And so it proves as, in front of a healthy all-ages crowd, the 21st century's finest Little Richard tribute band sweat buckets for the cause.
On record, the Revue's all-out assault can sound a little one-dimensional, but here it makes perfect sense, and as the likes of "Dishonest John" and album title track "Burning Your House Down" pummel the ears of the good people of East Anglia, it is clear that the good time sought by tonight's audience is being delivered in spades.  A little change of pace on occasion wouldn't go amiss, but subtlety is not really the aim here, and 80 minutes of blistering noise later, all appetites appear sated.
Leaving the venue by ten o'clock (to make room for Norwich's premier indie night, at which the hard-working DJs spin the same tunes in the same order as they have done for the past thirty years), all Owls agree that the spirit of rock and roll lives on in the lean frame of Jim and his classically attired cronies. By all means music needs to evolve and push envelopes, but sometimes a quiff, a leather jacket and a celebration of rock's history will suffice. A top night out.

Chris