{"id":26455,"date":"2025-05-09T06:38:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T06:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=26455"},"modified":"2025-05-09T14:41:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T14:41:39","slug":"jesse-malin-band-islington-assembley-hall-02-05-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=26455","title":{"rendered":"Jesse Malin & Band – Islington Assembley Hall – 02.05.25"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nearly 2 years to the day since suffering a spinal stroke that paralysed him from the waist down, NY singer\/songwriter Jesse Malin returns to the stage in London for 2 benefit shows at Islington Assembly Hall to help raise funds for his recovery and medical care. A Jesse Malin live show is something fans and friends hoped and prayed would happen again, and with the help of his band and a handful of special guests, the dream of returning to live music has become a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last night\u2019s sold-out show was by all accounts a blast, and tonight we expect more of the same, albeit a different set list and special guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great cheers ring out across the packed expanse of this beautiful, old school music hall as the curtains draw back to reveal the full band, seated \u2018MTV Unplugged\u2019 style. They break straight into a 1-2-3 from the oft-forgotten \u2018New York Before The War\u2019 opus. \u2018I Would Do It For You\u2019 may be a slow burner of an opener, but the following upbeat earworms of \u2018Oh Sheena\u2019 and \u2018Addicted\u2019 quickly show us this is not to be a laid-back, acoustic show by any means.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sat centre stage, our man Jesse looks cool as ever, dressed all in black, shades covering his eyes, his trademark cloth cap perched sideways over his mop of curly locks. Although this is a full band electric show, it is clearly a different dynamic to any Malin show any of us have seen before. Jesse Malin is a very animated and energetic performer, yet the fact that he is confined to a chair does not take away anything from the performance tonight. His band are tight, the sound is crystal clear, and the vocals are spot on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We head back in time with \u2018Downliner\u2019 before a rousing rendition of The Pogues \u2018If I Should Fall From Grace\u2019 rocks the house. The one thing I’ve always loved about Jesse Malin shows and the thing that keeps bringing me back is his storytelling and his engagement with his audience, and tonight is no different. We get tales of past loves, his first teenage attempts at paying for sex, stories of growing up in the streets of New York, his musical travels and recording experiences. Also, the ongoing journey of his recovery. One such tale about recording With Lucinda Williams leads into the emotive \u2018Room 13\u2019 which is just as joyous as the recorded version, then and a killer \u2018Turn Up The Mains\u2019 has the power and cool delivery of the recent \u2018Silver Patron Saints\u2019 version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point in the show, a full-size microphone stand is placed in front of our man, and with both hands clutching it for support and with every effort in his body, he stands for the first time of the evening to a rapturous applause. This is what it’s all about: a goosebumps moment we all share. The band then break into \u2018The Way We Used To Roll, and with growing confidence, Jesse performs standing for the next few songs before needing a breather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What follows is a set that covers his whole career as a solo artist. Highlights are plentiful and memorable. \u2018State Of The Art\u2019 and \u2018Black Haired Girl\u2019 do it for me, then there\u2019s oldies but goodies like \u2018Brooklyn\u2019 and the killer \u2018All The Way From Moscow\u2019. Jesse cuts a dramatic figure standing, draped over a mic stand that gives an ethereal Layne Staley vibe, but there is no heartache or mournfulness in tonight\u2019s show, only hope and positivity. An extended and jammed out \u2018Meet Me At The End Of The World\u2019 transports us to 70\u2019s New York, it is a set closer of sorts before the special guest slots. Billy Bragg joins the stage for the mellow but hard-hitting protest song \u2018Ameri\u2019ka\u2019, before a rousing cover of The Clash hit \u2018Rudy Can\u2019t Fail\u2019 that gets the whole room singing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Then, just like the poster says, we are treated to Peter & Jamie Perrett of The Only Ones for a rocking rendition of their classic \u2018Another Girl, Another Planet\u2019. Now, that is a treat to behold; no one does it better. The band closes the night with the upbeat and countrified goodness that is \u2018You Know It’s Dark When Atheists Start To Prey\u2019. And as Jesse leaves the stage with the aid of a walker, I get the feeling it won’t be as long until he returns to these shores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse Malin has preached PMA (positive mental attitude) his whole career, and we will never quite understand how much he has needed that for himself these past 2 years. But tonight’s show was a true example of triumph over adversity, an artist who has given his all every night of his career, fighting for all he is worth to reclaim his life again. And judging by the response tonight and the fact that both shows were sold out, I think Jesse can be proud of his accomplishment and take comfort in the support he has from his fanbase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We may only be 5 months into the year, but I can safely say that was hands down the best, and the most emotional show I’ll see this year. It’s a pleasure to have him back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author: Ben Hughes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nearly 2 years to the day since suffering a spinal stroke that paralysed him from the waist down, NY singer\/songwriter Jesse Malin returns to the stage in London for 2 benefit shows at Islington Assembly Hall to help raise funds for his recovery and medical care. A Jesse Malin live show is something fans and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26478,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[5406,156],"class_list":["post-26455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-review","tag-billy-bragg","tag-jesse-malin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26455"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26464,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26455\/revisions\/26464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}