REVIEW: Mystery Jets at London Koko on 18 Feb
Subversive, quirky, eccentric and challenging. The Mystery Jets are that and so much more tonight, and to many surprises, there's a strong chance that they're going to be on the brink of popular notoriety within six months. Nothing that you haven't seen before you might suggest - but these guys collectively have been a band officially for around a decade. And it gets wierder. There are two drummers, one of which is lead singer Blaine Harrison
- and his form of percussion are pots and pans. His father,
Henry, is the guitarist. Bassist Kai Fish was previously a cello player by trade ... and they rehearse at their own hub of creativity on Eel Pie Island, Twickenham. Honestly, you couldn't make this up. Tonight, they have the crowd in their pockets with opener
'Zoo Time' which, incidentally, is the current ‘limited to 500’single on the label du jour, Transgressive. And even more so with the highlight of the night - the incredibly moving of 'Anno's Italy'. This is a thirteen minute obituary to a bunch of friends who died in a car crash. With Latin lyrics aplenty, the moving bit comes when the band members all freeze still in the midst of a beautiful guitar solo and organ interplay that makes spines tingle. But that kind of impact doesn't mean to say that they can't make the crowd have a little dance every now and again too - 'Lizzy's Lion', 'On My Feet' and 'You Can't
Fool Me Dennis' prove just that. YN