Friday night it’s pissing down and we’re heading to some town in the middle of the Welsh valleys for what promises on paper to be one hell of a night out.  Once we navigate around the one-way system (Manhatten it isn’t) we still manage to fuck it up mind you but the Gods are with us and as we enter the venue Deathtraps are about ten seconds into their set and Loud it is.  To be fair I’ve seen these boys a few times lately and by a country mile, this was the tightest they’ve sounded and kudos to the sound man because he got their Garage punk action rock sound lock-in and wringing the shit out of the sweet spot.  With two albums in and another on the way, This three-piece are on fire and the people of Aberdare are in early and in fairness giving the band a healthy round of applause and their uncompromising set is going down really well (and so it should) With a well-balanced set of songs from both albums with ‘Teenage Knife Crime’ Going down particularly well and sounding huge.  Once again an enjoyable set but having a great mix helped and that not something you can always say about support bands.

Next up were local lads Heavy Flames at first they ambled onto the stage and looked like a bunch of misfits (maybe they are I’m not judging) but to be fair once they started playing their bluesy garage rock n roll sounded decent.  Of course, I didn’t have a clue what the songs were but they sounded alright and Bez on the harmonica was a nice touch to the sound.  Leading the band and patrolling the front of the dance floor the singer had an excellent voice and really belted out the numbers and to be fair pulled everything together.  I possibly wouldn’t go out of my way to see them but if they were on the bill I’d make sure I was there in time to catch them play. Which is something the locals obviously agreed with because the room was filling up nicely as Aberdare got down with their local band and really got behind them.

Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind has a brand new record out and tonight was the first night of the tour.  I’m always pleased to travel to this kind of venue because it would be so easy for a band as good as JJ&TRM to give somewhere like Jacs a swerve and just play your usual handful of big city shows to people who are generally spoilt or get more than their fair share of live gigs.  Well, tonight much like the last time they played south Wales in Ebbw Vale Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind really put on a show and for the next hour and some delivered life-affirming, high octane, earth-shaking rock and roll.

With a decent crowd intent on having a good time the band didn’t look or sound like a band on the first night of the tour as they burnt through the set list like a band possessed with hardly any mid-song banter Jim kept it tight and let the music do the talking and as they threw out songs from the debut album and the new ‘CollectiV’ they were going down a storm.

My trusty travelling companion was witnessing the power of a Jim Jones show for the first time and commented that Jim had the best Rock and Roll voice he had ever heard in a live setting and he was indeed correct and it was an intuitive observation as Brother Jim bellowed out his words of wisdom from his rock and roll altar.  Decked out in matching turtle necks the band were in danger of overheating such was the heat generated from their performance as the audience moved as one to songs like ‘Shazam’, ‘Killer Brainz’, or the magnificent ‘Satan’s Got His Heart Set On You’ Even songs off the first album like the epic ‘Til It’s All Gone’ or ‘Boil Yer Blood’ went down a storm. This band are on fire and whatever they play just sounds like dynamite easily one of the best live bands anywhere and tonight they weren’t going easy on Aberdare as they played until they couldn’t physically play anymore and the performance didn’t drop one single percent had they been playing the Albert Hall or Jacs it matters not because Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind are about the people and getting out there and doing it these guys walk the walk and Aberdare was lapping it up every second of it.

If you want Rock and Roll played with passion, conviction and a tonne of brilliant songs then hit up Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind because these lifers deliver every single time and not a second is wasted with insignificant guff because time is precious and ‘I Found Love’ its called Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind the time to Testify is now people sit up take note and jump on board. The Gospel of Rock and Roll was set on fire in Aberdare and I was a witness Now come back and play ‘Aldecide’ you must have forgotten to play it this time.  Simply stunning! now to spread the word and get people to join the CollectiV because the evil power of Rock and Roll is alive and well and with bands like this it’s in safe hands –  for now.

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Author: Dom Daley

*Seeing is believing so this week we don’t just bring you the opening night of the tour but in a few days you can read what went down when Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind played the iconic 100Club London*