Mystery Jets @ The Mandela Hall
November 10, 2010 No Comments
(C) Edwin Docherty 2010
It’s safe to say that it was easy enough to decipher which crowd was there to awe at Tinie Tempah’s grimey beats, and the others who were lurking around, ready to bounce along to the Mystery Jets. Drunken teenagers in older siblings clothes spelt out Tinie. Thick rimmed glasses indicated the Jets.
Is Tropical (C) Edwin Docherty 2010
I followed the thick rimmed (and, no doubt, completely pointless) glasses crowd – which was a considerable amount smaller than the masses of children gathered in the Mandela.
A dishevelled looking man in an oversized blazer took to the stage after a longer than necessary wait, and started beating out tunes from their newly anticipated album ‘Serotonin’. Despite a few problems with the sound, Mystery Jets bounced back, belting out such tracks as ‘Flash a Hungry smile’, ‘Serotonin’,‘Dreaming of Another World’ and the infectiously catchy ‘Half in love with Elizabeth’, not forgetting to add some humour in between.
Mystery Jets (C) Edwin Docherty 2010
Despite the fact that the lads from Twickenham have a good ear for creating cheery humming-along music, I did feel that you needed to be a religious hardcore fan to truely appreciate the gig. I looked around and seen the stylish supporters sing and dance along to every word, and found it difficult to immerse myself in the gig they were watching. Instead I found myself losing interest, looking around at the curtains, bar, stage background, women’s shoes, my phone, twiddling my hair, and generally anything in the venue other than the band itself.
Mystery Jets (C) Edwin Docherty 2010
Their sure-fire hit ‘Two Doors Down’ and club classic feat Sindin ‘After Dark’ woke me up, but I soon lost interest again. Not that they were horrific live in any way – in fact, the complete opposite, but they just don’t excite me. ‘Young Love’ was a beautiful little track, even without the stunning Laura Marling helping them along the way, and it was strange recognising so many of their songs without realising that the Mystery Jets were the minds behind the music.
The guys have came a long way since 2001, and ‘Serotonin’ has definitely proved that. Not only that, but watching father and son play along onstage wearing their ‘mod’-ensemble was lovely to watch. Fantastic little gig, and a great venue, but sadly, not enough to convert me to rush out and buy their albums.
By Tascha Kay