The British team Jesus Jones cannot be called the pioneers of alternative rock, but they are the undisputed leaders of the Big Beat style. The peak of popularity came in the mid-90s of the last century. Then almost every column sounded their hit "Right Here, Right Now".
Unfortunately, at the pinnacle of fame, the team did not last too long. However, even today the musicians do not stop creative experiments, and are actively involved in concert activities.
Formation of the Jesus Jones team
It all started in England, in the small town of Bradford-on-Avon. In the late 80s, when at the peak of popularity of British youth there were such musical trends as techno and indie rock. Three musicians decide to create their own band. Iain Baker, Mike Edwards, and Jerry De Borg were fans of the mainstream hits of the time, Pop Will Eat Itself, EMF, and The Shamen.
The first rehearsals showed that the guys like to mix classic punk rock with modern electronic tunes. Quite quickly, Simon "Gen" Matthewse and Al Doughty joined the beginning pioneers of "bigbit". After that, by a joint decision, the resulting group was called "Jesus Jones". By the end of the 80s, the guys were able to turn out material for a full-fledged disc. It was "Liquidizer", released in 1989.
Thanks to the unusual sound of the tracks, the material quickly gained grateful listeners. It combined elements of hip-hop, techno rhythms and guitar parts. Local radio stations gladly aired new songs. And the composition "Info Freako" quickly reached the top of the charts of that time. After that, the first popularity came to the musicians.
Rise of popularity
On the wave of success, the musicians decided not to sit idly by. Already by the next year, 1990, material was collected for the second studio work. The record was called "Doubt", but the musicians had disputes with the releasing label, "Food Records". Fans were able to see the new work of their favorite group only in 1991. It was this album that contained the track "Right Here, Right Now", which brought the band worldwide fame.
In general, the disc justified the hopes of the musicians, and became the first commercially successful disc. Many compositions occupied the leading positions of the charts not only in their native Britain, but also on European and American radio stations. In the same year, the team was awarded the first music award - the MTV Video Music Awards.
Immediately after the recording of the album, the group goes on a long tour. Tickets for concerts taking place in music venues in North America and Europe were completely sold out. Even long before the appointed date for the performance of the artists.
Two years later, in 1993, the musicians were able to collect material for the release of their next studio work, "Perverse". All compositions were immediately recorded in digital form, which became a kind of experiment. The new record almost repeated the success of the second album.
However, internal disagreements in the team forced the musicians to take a kind of vacation. The pause was intended to give the guys a chance to think about the future and possible creative paths. Three years later, in 1996, the musicians reunite. They begin recording their fourth studio album.
The record, released in 1997, was called "Already". True, by the announced release, disagreements between the band and the EMI label had accumulated. As a result, the band lost their drummer, Simon "Gen" Matthewse, who decided to go on a free voyage.
One of the members, Mike Edwards, wrote about the last difficult months of the band's existence in his book. The project existed for a short time, and was available to fans of the band's work in PDF format on the band's portal.
New Millennium Jesus Jones
By the beginning of 2000, Tony Arthy took the place of the drummer in the team. In the updated line-up, the guys are affiliated with the Mi5 Recordings label. The group's fifth studio album, released in 2001, was called "London". He was not particularly successful in sales. At the same time, the group's former label, EMI, is preparing to release a compilation of the group's hits. It was released in 2002 and will be called "Jesus Jones: Never Enough: the Best of Jesus Jones".
The next studio work was released in the form of a mini-album only in 2004, and was called "Culture Vulture EP". Since then, the team has switched to touring, and has not released full-fledged albums. New trends in music trends and internet sales have allowed the band to release a series of live recordings in the form of six compilations. A fan subscription was available on Amazon.co.ua in 2010.
One of the group's biggest hits, "Right Here, Right Now", was often used as the intro to various TV shows and soundtracks for commercials. The band's former label, EMI, released a collectible set of the band's studio albums in 2014, including a DVD.
In 2015, in an interview, Mike Edwards admitted to reporters that he was preparing material for a new studio album. However, fans were only able to see it in 2018. The work was called "Passages". And Simon "Gen" Matthewse, who returned to his rightful place, acted as the drummer on the recording.
