The Gift Rehearsal - July 28th 2005

It's not every day that you get to meet a childhood hero (well, childhood might be pushing it a bit, but I was obviously a very young Jam fan 25+ years ago...) so when Russell Hastings invited me to see his new band rehearsing I jumped at the chance.

The Gift features Russ on vocals, Dave Moore (who played in Maximum High with Russ) on bass and the original Jam drummer, Rick Buckler!   Yes, Rick has picked up the sticks again, having not played for over twenty years, and they've put together a Jam set with the aim of touring, starting in the autumn.   With his new drumkit still being made, Rick had to make do with a set borrowed from the studio, which explains the rather tatty kit that you can see in the photos.  

The setlist features some of their classic singles, along with a number of Jam album tracks, some of which are huge favourites of mine, which haven't been heard live recently, if ever.   I particularly enjoyed Man In The Corner Shop, Girl On The Phone and Boy About Town - but they all sounded good to me. 

Hopefully they'll be announcing some dates soon - I certainly can't wait to see them on stage!

For details of the tour when it is announced, see Rick's website below.