Reviewed by Catherine Joyce
Last night we went to the Guild Hall to see From The Jam, a band headed up by original Jam bass player Bruce Foxton along with Russell Hastings on guitar and lead vocals. Instead of being in the main Guild Hall, the gig was held in the new performance space, LiVe, located in the recently refurbished foyer area. LiVe is an all standing music venue that is new to the Guild Hall and much more suitable for a live music act than the main hall. The gig was a sell-out with 500 fans in the audience but whilst full it wasn’t uncomfortable and there was plenty of space to move around.
From The Jam only came on stage at 9.30 so there were two warm up acts, All Hail Hyena and Stillia, both local bands. They were very good but with All Hail Hyena playing first they were performing to quite an empty room as most people chose to miss the warm up bands only arriving around 9pm. In the main Guild Hall this would have been a nuisance with the audience constantly having to stand up to allow people to get to their seats but with LiVe being an all standing venue it didn’t matter at all.
Looking sharp on stage wearing his trademark suit Foxton and the rest of the band took to the stage with the classic “That’s Entertainment.” The audience, with plenty of obvious fans, immediately exploded singing along, dancing and generally having a great time. The next 60 minutes flew by with loads of tracks, some I wasn’t familiar with but plenty that I did know.
The band then left the stage for just a few minutes and returned for a final “greatest hits” with “Start”, “Going Underground”, “Eton Rifles”and finishing off a great night with the ever popular hit “Town Called Malice”.
Neither Foxton or Hastings took much time to talk to the audience, the night was all about the music, although they did mention that a new album is due out later this year. There were a few issues with the lighting at the start of the show but this was quickly resolved and didn’t affect the performance.
We had a really great night out, there are obviously a huge number of Jam fans still around, if you’re one of them perhaps you might catch the band at one of their many tour dates planned for the rest of the year.
Preston Guild Hall, in the centre of the city is easy to find and with a couple of excellent restaurants and bars in the complex it gives visitors the opportunity to make a night of it if they wish. The conveniently located Bus Station car park provides the perfect place to park and the connecting walkway direct into the Guild Hall means you don’t even need to brave the weather. The recent improvements that are being made to the Guild Hall are really starting to pay off and it is good to see more top acts returning to Preston.
Rating: 5/5
For other shows at the Preston Guild Hall visit www.prestonguildhall.co.uk.
The Guild Hall & Charter Theatre, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 1HT | 01772 804444
