Live

Jetplane Landing

Steven Daniels 11/05/2004

his evening Jetplane Landing play Manchester Roadhouse on their 11th tour of the UK in their trusty Transit. A small but dedicated, and growing fan-base is tracking their progress. Tonight is a celebration of the band's community spirit, touring to support the single Brave Gravity in which the bands fans play the starring role. Echoing as far as the merchandise stall, where the band themselves sell the shirts, and they also promote their labels CD Public Service Broadcast which showcases new bands at no profit. The band march onstage and launch into the thunderous Acrimony. It is clear early on that the band are on a mission, whipping up the atmosphere in the crowd, singer Andrew climbing atop monitors screaming “dance!” Their last single I Opt Out is dispatched early, and old songs are limited to This Is Not Revolution Rock and What The Argument Has Changed, concentrating on material from the bands current album Once Like A Spark. The pace picks up towards the end of the gig, potential single The Violence is met with a crazy pit at the front. In between songs Andrew pauses to thank the fans for coming, but the whole show reaches a fantastic climax when during a frenetic version of Lights Out Andrew stops the whole band, and spits the most vitriolic truth I have ever heard. Clearly angered about the fact that Jetplane haven't been booked for any festivals this year, he attacks everything from the festivals who are supposed to support new and interesting music, hiding behind a façade of cheap Beer advertising, and the record companies and radio stations who ignore good up and coming music. The song then explodes into its climax, and the band finish with “the song that sums them up” There Is No Real Courage Unless There Is Real Danger after which the band depart, however due to the crowd reaction they re-appear and finish off with the mighty Conventional Thought.

To anyone who says that political music is dying they may be right, but tonight Jetplane Landing have shown the world how other issues such as the music industry itself and how it doesn't support new artists are just as important. These issues need to be heard like any political manifestos, and that message is loud and clear tonight. They are building a community round a set of songs, allowing people to get together to share their creations and avoid the money spinners for the love of simply hearing good music.