Jackson Jackson @ The Prince,Melbourne (19/02/09)

Thu 26th Feb, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Michael Jackson and Jackson Jackson may not have much in common at first blush, other than the obvious. However, with backing singers decked out in sequiny numbers reminiscent of the Prince of Pop’s infamous glove and called the Jackson Jackson 5, and the fact the gig was held at the Prince, one could be forgiven for thinking it was an elaborate publicity stunt to inflate the price of MJ’s soon to be auctioned-off collection accoutrements. It wasn’t of course, but it was a bloody good show.

From early on there was a decent crowd at the ballroom with a demographic spread more varied than the Williamstown line’s. Phrase was the supporting act and sounded a bit like a middle class Rage Against the Machine without the rage. The heads were nodding along, but not much else.

After a small interlude the lights dimmed and JJ5 took the stage closely followed by a wailing and hirsute Angus belting out the intro to Devil in Me. It was an inspired opening which built from nothing to a blazing chorus exciting the entire crowd. Angus’ soaring vocals combined perfectly with the 5 to create some beautiful harmonies and all without tiniest hint of competition for volume between the two.

This powerful opening somehow flowed into the bossa-nova flavoured International Society of Bad Dancers. To the delight of the crowd the ladies in the JJ5 ripped off their sequins to reveal some tidy pins. The supreme irony of Bad Dancers was that it was irresistibly danceable and it got the crowd shaking their tosh. The complete lack of self-consciousness was refreshing at the Prince.

Their current single, All Alone came up next and is one of their less adventurous tracks, cut from the same cloth as other Aussie electro acts such as The Presets, Cut Copy or Midnight Juggernauts. Still, as it is getting significant airplay, it was popular and Angus’ delivery of the vocals, reminiscent of a southern preacher stirred and energised the crowd in equal measures.

Showing extraordinary musical diversity, JJ then found their way via some more latin beats to the bluesy Down the River. This preceded Eliza which was heartily sung along by the entire crowd.

Jackson Jackson should be applauded for their courage to mine the gamut of contemporary music genres to create a unique sound. At no stage does the performance degenerate into farce despite many songs being piss takes, thanks to their unquestionable musical talent. Sometimes this talent led the band into long instrumental breaks which lost parts of the crowd, but this should only be seen as a minor distraction. There was a predictable encore with the roadie giving the game away by adjusting Angus’ mic stand after the band had left the stage.

CHECK OUT THE BAND AND ALL THE DANCERS HERE