Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Reviews

Jilted John Review

Oct 11, 2018
-
Posted by Steve Clements

Show opener John Otway was graciously posing for selfies at the merch stand before parting the crowd to get to the stage. He started with his first hit ‘Cor Baby, That’s Really Free’ and its B-side ‘Beware Of The Flowers…’ followed by an explanation of who he was for the benefit of younger members of the audience – there were some. Aided by roadie/straight man Deadly, he treated the crowd to a host of gadgets and gags and subjected his forehead to quite a battering on Headbutts. Set highlight and a sign of his fans’ devotion was the heckle-along ‘House Of The Rising Sun’.

With his band cranking up the opening riff of his Top 10 hit, the man himself bounced out in a ‘Legend since 1978’ T-shirt and trademark anorak and proclaimed “40 years on, I’m still Jilted John, ‘ere we go 2, 3, 40”. The character has woken from a 40-year cryogenic nap and Graham Fellows completely throws himself into it with only a few nods to the fact we’re no longer in 1978. The eternal teenager proved he was more than a one-hit wonder as he worked through selections from the largely under-appreciated album ‘True Love Stories’. The album was well named as each song was a mix of photo love story and problem page anxiety.

It felt strange watching this 59-year-old man-boy high-fiving fans while singing ‘Baz’s Party’ about trying to get a girl upstairs to take her bra off but as a performer he was totally convincing, even when describing the thrill of sitting next to a girl on the bus or falling in love with a pet mouse. The band was very tight and clearly enjoying themselves with the basic punk rock template being expanded to include Chas ‘n’ Dave meets Madchester arrangements, while Fellows’ performance was endearingly shambolic but professional enough to overcome the odd missed cue or misremembered line.

The original A-side ‘Going Steady’ was a complete joy. A catchy pop-punk masterpiece in which John is told he’s “much better looking than Starsky or Hutch” and looking forward to getting ma-ar-ried. Fellows’ younger sister Claire (who was formerly Mrs Ainsley Harriott, fact fans) joined on backing vocals for ‘Birthday Kiss’, a sad tale of seeing your girlfriend snogging another outside the youth club.

‘Goodbye Karen’ could have been a lost Dislocation Dance song with its catchy chorus and indie jazz-pop harmonies and it was surprising to see that so many people knew the words to most of the album tracks. In true showbiz style the best was left to last as the band finally struck up ‘that’ riff as Fellows proclaimed “When all is said and done, I’m still Jilted John”. The crowd lapped it up and Fellows milked it for all he was worth leading the chants of “Gordon is a moron”.

Returning for an encore, ‘Mrs. Pickering’ told of the battle between badly-behaved teenagers and a bad teacher and the skinny-shaming ‘Keira Knightly, Eat Your Dinner’ was a strange hybrid of Frank Sidebottom and Billy Bragg. A quick reprise of ‘Going Steady’ segued into a final blast of ‘Jilted John’, with John Otway joining in the fun as Fellows led the crowd atop the monitors.

It was a brave decision to resurrect a one-hit wonder after so much time but Fellows is such a perfectionist that this was perfectly executed and a joy from beginning to end. He was also a complete gent by making time to chat with fans after the show.

The Haunt, Sunday 7th October 2018
Photo courtesy of Jane Dutton

Oct 11, 2018
Email
Steve Clements
Steve has been a SOURCE contributor since Summer 2010. Favourite quote - "There's no such thing as a sold out gig".
← PREVIOUS POST
Neil Innes Review
NEXT POST →
Cinecity 2018, Fri 9th - Sun 25th Nov
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts Review
    Oct 21, 2025

    Expectations are high with a new Inspector Morse story on stage, sadly this is more a ghost of a Morse story, although die hard fans might enjoy it for the nostalgia.

  • The Lovely Eggs Interview
    Oct 15, 2025

    The Lovely Eggs tell us about their 20th anniversary, the new album and tour with Polite Bureax and some comedy legends supporting.

  • Ocean Film Festival Review 2025
    Oct 11, 2025

    A selection of beautifully shot short films covering diverse ocean lovers' passion for interacting with the sea.

  • Fractured Album Launch, Saturday 20th December
    Oct 10, 2025

    Fractured celebrate the release of their new album supported by Amelia And The Housewives.

  • 2:22 A Ghost Story Review
    Oct 7, 2025

    An evening of two couples having dinner together has never before been so gripping and enthralling, filled with tension, with the ultimate question: is their new house haunted or not?

  • Richard Hawley Review
    Oct 5, 2025

    As Coles Corner turns 20, Richard Hawley dazzled and delighted an up-for-it Worthing crowd with a 2 hour-plus set.

  • Brighton Psych Fest 2025 Review
    Sep 26, 2025

    The second Brighton Psych Fest was a beauty as we got down with Getdown Services as the evening sunlight glowed through the Concorde Stained Glass.

  • David Devant & His Spirit Wife, Friday 12th December
    Sep 23, 2025

    One of Brighton's greatest live bands returns for a pre-Xmas homecoming party.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
Jilted John Review - Brighton Source