From The Jam, Under the Bridge, Friday, January 16, 2015:

Set-list Saturday’s kids, When you’re young, David Watts, To be someone (didn’t we have a nice time), Thick as thieves, Man in the corner shop, It’s too bad, Smithers-Jones, Strange town, Burning sky, So sad about us, Little boy soldiers, That’s entertainment, The butterfly collector, Slow down, Start, Town called malice, Going underground. Encore: The Eton rifles, Heatwave, Down in the Tube station at midnight

 

As Bruce Foxton and the rest of From the Jam sat on stage pre-gig, the thought went through my mind: How, without an electric guitar in sight, nor the strength of the voice of the main man, Paul Weller, is this concert possibly going to do justice to one of the most celebrated bands in British history?

An-hour-and-a-half later that pending trepidation had been completely blown out of the water and replaced by a sense of exhilaration which left us wanting the night to never end.

From the moment the night kicked off, with Saturday’s kids, to the crescendo that was Down in the Tube station at midnight, the mods in the crowd were in their element.

This gig at the intimate Under the Bridge venue at Chelsea Football Club, was just part of the band’s current That’s Entertainment tour, featuring former Jam bassist Bruce Foxton, Russell Hastings as lead singer and Tom Heel on keyboard.

The trio rocked and rolled their way through a selection of songs from The Jam’s extensive back catalogue, including favourites such as Town called malice, Start and Going underground.

Confirming how my initial concern was proved to be unwarranted, Foxton said: “We played some acoustic shows last year and it was a revelation how well the songs work acoustically. It’s a testament to a good song that they have stood the test of time and don’t need a full band and big production in order to work so well.”

But despite the lasting success of the hits, it was probably some of the lesser known tracks, such as So sad about us, To be someone and a fantastic rendition of Martha and the Vandellas’ classic Heatwave, which were the true highlights.

As LouderThanWar put it, there may never be a Jam reunion but it’s reassuring to see someone as talented and passionate as Bruce Foxton being able to take these wonderful old songs out on the road and communicate so successfully with this Modern World.

For a full list of tour dates see www.Facebook.com/FromTheJam