'From The Jam' Move Up In The World

'From The Jam' have moved from a small-time reformation of a band, to an up-and-coming, highly anticipated, new, shiny and glossy version of a band. This was their show in Birmingham on the 20th of December 2008.

The night started with a ten minute queue outside of the Carling Academy in Birmingham - because apparently people over the age of forty do not like to wait around outside venues, which was convenient for me. It was extremely cold.

Once we had secured our places at the front - and almost centre - the DJ set began. Although it was amusing to hear the punk version of 'Wuthering Heights' by Kate Bush, along with 'Foxboro Hot Tubs' and 'The Selecter' all in the same place, the playlist began to grow tired. So I, along with the majority of the crowd, let out a quiet sigh of relief when the house lights dimmed.

A cheer soon erupted to welcome the mod legends 'Secret Affair' who were, supposedly, filling support slots at the Birmingham and London dates. However, the audience were quite shocked when a bunch of four youngsters dressed in shirts and ties and waistcoats graced the stage with a confident swagger. I still don't know why 'Secret Affair' pulled out of the tour dates, but their replacements weren't too shabby.

'The Reluctant Heroes' immediately dove into a bouncy indie/punk tune called 'Respect' and that, accompanied with the lead singer's feel-good performance skills instantly caught my attention. Once the song was over, 'Ed' informed us of their most recent gig... in Cannock... in their local pub. He then continued to gush about how 'this was the biggest gig [they've] ever played' and in the middle of their set introduced us to his brother, who was deftly taking photographs of the band. Overall, TRH left a lasting impression and would be a class act to see for anybody looking for a fun night out.

By now the crowd were pumped and the atmosphere was electric, the scent of stale booze already beginning to waft around the academy... and then the DJ started again. This time playing more of the 'sing-a-long' types, such as 'The Specials' and 'Madness', but again the songs quickly became a nuisance, putting off the inevitable. It wasn't long before chants of 'From The Jam!' echoed around the hall, closely followed by the legendary 'We Are The Mods', that many fans picked up from the cult movie 'Quadrophenia'.

Finally, the lights turned down and Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler entered the stage, along with Russel Hastings (vocals/guitar) and Dave Moore (keyboards). A short moment later I was pushed up against the barrier by at least a hundred 'older' punters, trying to get closer to their heroes. They soon launched into classic hits, such as 'David Watts' and 'Thick as Thieves', that had the crowd shouting along at the top of their lungs... although the drink probably had a lot to do with that as well.

One of the best performances of the set was 'That's Entertainment', although I may be slightly biased as that is my favorite song. But, the melodic, catchy acoustic number had everybody singing the loudest they had sung so far, plus it gave those of us at the front a break from being crushed. The song, was closely followed by another fan favourite, 'Strange Town', which was strategically placed to bring the excitement right back to the level it had been before, and then some.

The official set ended with the classic tune 'A Town Called Malice.' It goes without saying that this was the most well-received song of the entire show so far, and it wasn't surprising that every single person in the room knew every single lyric off by heart.

There was then a quick goodbye, from Bruce and Russell and the band left the stage, but the lights didn't let up, letting the crowd know there was still more to come. That being a three song encore, consisting of 'Private Hell', 'The Gift' and, of course, the other song that made The Jam famous, 'Going Underground,' which was met with just as much gusto as the previous finale, if not more.

The goodbyes this time were longer, the guys taking numerous bows and Bruce making a short speech, telling us all how much they've enjoyed the tour and the show they've just played. With that they exited for good, sweat-soaked and exhausted, just like the rest of us.

The night was jam-packed with good tunes from start to finish - some live, some not - and everyone left with a smile on their face. Including myself, as I had managed to fight for one of the set-lists and ended up with the one nearest Bruce's microphone.

'From The Jam' will be releasing new material sometime this year, the first single being called 'Later Day,' hopefully satisfying older fans, whilst gaining some new ones too. I am stoked!