Jane’s Addiction: still the epitome of unlimited potential
PHIL WALLIS
BUSH HALL, LONDON
LA’s freak-flag flyers extraordinaire reignite their original spark
AS MUCH AS it’s in the nature of Jane’s Addiction to make anything feel possible, tonight comes with an air of disbelief. It’s not just that they’re playing a 400-capacity show, this is also the first time that a band founded on a unique, utterly explosive chemistry are returning to their original line-up for the first time in 14 years, and in an age of encroaching cynicism, that spark feels more necessary than ever.
The anticipation filling Bush Hall is only heightened by the tribal intro, its underpinning of continuity reaffirmed as soon as Dave Navarro saunters onto the stage in a wide-brimmed hat and black stripe across the eyes, as if straight from a mystic Western movie. Perry Farrell is all louche, carefree cool in cravat and polo shirt, like this is merely an extension of his serene internal universe. For all the vastness of their sound, the liberation that Perry offered, to allow your freak flag to truly fly, was also a deeply intimate experience that feels fitting to the occasion tonight.