The anticipation to see Gene Loves Jezebel with Jay Aston, Pete Rizzo (bass), James Stevenson (guitars) and drummer Rob Adams was overwhelming, especially considering the fact that nowadays there are two versions of the band, one with Michael Aston (who left the original band about 10 years ago), and the other one with Jay Aston and most of the old times line up.
The band’s chemistry could already be seen during the sound check, but with all the controversy between the twins Jay and Mike Aston (see interview with Jay Aston on SPIN LA) about who’s band is the real Gene Loves Jezebel, the only way one can decide which one is the real GLJ watching both bands live to compare and make a decision on who is the real Jezebel.
This Jezebel, Jay Aston, and his mates did a pretty good job! Despite of the fact they were playing in a pub, very different than the music venues the band has been performing during this more of 20 years of career, Gene Loves Jezebel with Jay Aston shows that there is a reason for the longevity, they really have fun doing this!
The set started with ’20 Killer Hurts’ and James Stevenson’s powerful guitar riffs. Gene Loves Jezebel nowadays looks quite different than 20 years ago. Jay Aston’s short dark hair, Pete Rizzo, James Stevenson and Rob Williams black outfits and lack of the excess make up from the past, gives the band a more sophisticated look, not losing the magic from the old times.
The set included most of the greatest hits like ‘Jealous’, ‘Suspicious’, ‘Gorgeous’ – and Jay Aston, as the great entertainer he is, tells the audience the tale about this song. According to Jay, the band wrote this song about him when he was not around… Yes, Jay is still a gorgeous presence on stage, jumping, singing, dancing and communicating with the audience and the band very comfortably.
The next song honors London, ‘Sweet, Sweet Rain’ (one of my favorites), followed by ‘Break the Chain’ to cool down the crowd a bit. Peter Rizzo, Rob Adams and James Stevenson are such powerful presence on stage, and the boys do have fun together, making whoever is in the audience, long time fan or someone who just walked in the bar, stop and listen to them.
The set ends, the band leaves the stage but the audience was not satisfied, they wanted more, much more. Gene Loves Jezebel returns to the stage and plays their biggest hit ‘Desire’. There were no more questions; this is the same Gene Loves Jezebel I remember seeing back in São Paulo, Brazil, 20 years ago. After this shows in Los Angeles, the band flew to Brazil to play in São Paulo and Curitiba. If you had the chance to see Gene Loves Jezebel with Jay Aston in one of these places, great, if not, try it next time, I recommend!
Text: Silvia Mendes
Photos: Luciana Mendes and Kevin Long
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