THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - THE ROUNDHOUSE, CAMDEN, 12th MARCH 2008

The Jesus and Mary Chain had such a profound effect on my late teens that I had serious reservations about revisiting such heart-felt passion some 20 years later.

But a gift of tickets to their Roundhouse show saw me standing amid an odd gathering of forty-somethings and teenagers waiting to see what the Reid brothers could deliver this side of the millennium.

As a 19-year-old I loved their arrogance; the fact they knew they were good enough to get away with a 20-minute set, backs to the audience, no encore. And I desperately hoped they could re-create some of that Scottish testosterone-fuelled energy and angst in 2008.

Maybe my expectations were a little unrealistic. I wanted to leave with my ears ringing and that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach from the thundering bass and screeching feedback.

The reality was something far more palatable. A corporate version of JAMC, with Jim and William duly fulfilling their obligations without taking risks or upsetting anyone. I could have taken my mum along.

Jim even smiled and said “thanks for coming” at the end of an hour-long set that featured no discernible distortion or feedback. In fact, they sounded more like their Scottish pop counterparts Teenage Fanclub than the Mary Chain I knew and loved.

I had to come home and search out some old YouTube footage just to convince myself that I didn’t create that noise in my head….

It was telling that they left out ‘Never Understand’ and ‘You Trip Me Up’ from the set. I can’t imagine how they could play either song minus the feedback and make them sound anything close to the original.

Maybe I’m being too critical. After all, it was 22 years ago when I first saw them play at the University of East Anglia and we’ve all grown up a lot since then.

But the things I really loved about the Mary Chain – the wall of noise, the shambolic live performance, the barely audible slurred lyrics, the downright arrogance and self belief – have all been replaced by something far more comfortable and acceptable.

I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe it’s my fault and not theirs. They’ve resigned themselves to grow old gracefully, whereas I’m being dragged kicking and screaming into middle age.

Thank goodness for YouTube. I can keep up the pretence…