Miscellaneous Articles #1

GENE LOVES JEZEBEL Los Angeles: “Which one’s Jezebel?” mutters a latter-day glammy this date behind me as Gene Loves Jezebel kick off their SRO show at the Palace in Hollywood. 

She doesn’t say a thing but edges away from him. What a putz! 

There are no oafs allowed at the Palace tonight. Reality has been…….frolic, silliness swathed in silk and satin, poses that will stand the test of time – or at least until the encore. 

Gene Loves Jezebel and so does the audience. What does it matter that Jay and Michael Aston’s renditions of their hits sometimes warble uncomfortably off-key? The campy posturing of the twins from Wales is what everyone’s come to see. And when they hit the target with “Cow” and “Heartache” knees buckle around the club. You can almost smell the mousse melting. 

Scarves and flowers flow toward the stage as offerings to the current gods of Fop Pop. Jay smiles beautifically while Michael freezes in mid-pout. 

Compared to the opening act, The Brigade – whose set is full of early-Clash sounding tunes and political messages – Gene Loves Jezebel is hardly music to make you think. Like a Twinkie, it’s not nourishing but that creamy filling has a wonderful mouth-feel. 

The KROQ – John Hughes conspiracy to control the teen ear moved forward with an Import double-bill featuring Gene Loves Jezebel’s soldout neo-heartthrob circus, a foggy, foolish and fervently received orgy of adolescence and exotica that left high-schoolers bopping and little sisters sopping. 

GLJ has evolved from an early ‘80s gloom novelty into one of the alternative scene’s strongest entrants to the mainstream, wedding a distinctive sound and style to timely grandiosity and epic vagueness. Hit titles like “Desire,” “Heartache” and “The Motion Of Love”…the rest; a hands-off, obsessive sensuality that strikes deep at tender teenybopper hearts and wallets. 

Atmosphere was essential and consistent; a hazy dreamworld of echoplex, birdcalls and Thorasine guitar riffs fired repeatedly over drifting rhythms and gelatinous song structures. Fog and colors played on the stage, while the two singers took turns posing downstage and above silhouettes on a raised platform. 

Though twins, frontmen Michael and J. Aston are no Righteous Bros. They pranced out in lip-puckering rag-decked, color-tressed glory robes of scarlet and aquamarine flowing behind them. Beefcake and brain, masculine and feminine respectively, Michael pranced bare chested and blond, self-obsessed to excess, while J. held down vocal and rhythm guitar at center stage. More vocal interaction between them might have been interesting. 

The show kicked off with the taut new “Gorgeous,” recapped some older odder hits, and then slower for a reflective and successful pair of vocal solos from J. on “Stephen” and “Every Door.” Some irresolute wallowing followed, allowing the otherwise unobtrusive James Stevenson to demonstrate the….of his lead guitar whilst the brothers swiveled and scampered. 

Having proven themselves capable of rock bombast, GLJ rebounded to close with three crowd-rousers – “Heartache,” “20 Killer Hurts” (go figger) and “The Motion Of Love,” three of their biggest hits. 

To 2000 Press

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