Ayron Jones / Rock City Beta / Nottingham
This was one I hadn’t been expecting. Contacted by the PR company they told me Ayron Jones was in town Saturday night and it would be great if we could do something on this one. I’d not heard of Ayron before, but said yes and called over….. “Alexa, Play Ayron Jones”. Out blasted Boys from the Puget Sound from his latest 2021 album “Child of the State”. I was hooked from the first vocals and couldn’t wait to see if the live show lived up to the album.
I talked my long suffering partner in to coming along and we headed to my second home at Rock City. A quiet night as the show on the main stage had been cancelled and I headed into the smaller Beta bar and met up with some old friends.
In support tonight we had another new band to us in Amongst Liars from around Eastbourne / Brighton (lets not mention todays Wolves result eh against Brighton ?!). They are Ian George (Vocals), Leo Burdett (Guitar), Ross Towner (Bass) and Adam Oarton (Drums). Their style is hard hitting rock and for me I drew comparisons to something like Riding the Low who I also saw at Beta). Right from the off with Black Days the energy levels were up, with some great distorted riffs and thundering bass. The intensity continues with Over and Over.
The tempo drops a little for Reign which really showcases Ian’s vocals, before a breakdown full of powerful riffs. Being Beta, the crowd is smaller, but there’s a real sense of enjoyment in the room as everyone is rocking or nodding along to the melodies. Great stuff, I’m really enjoying this ne too !
The energy from the band has migrated into the small intimate crowd. I, personally hadn’t managed to catch ‘Amongst Liars’ before, but so far they were playing a great set. Hard hitting where it needed to be, catchy hooks and loads of activity on stage, I prefer to see and animated band enjoying themselves, warts and all than a static band trying to be textbook perfect. I can get that watching the official video or listening to the album, with all its fluffy bits.
Perhaps the track of the set for me was Cut It with it’s great bass intro from Ross. More powerful it has an intensity and an angry edge to it. The final track is Wolf Machine which has some great drumming from Adam, as the track builds, blasting out at us, the crowd rockin’ along now.
A great set, delivered with power, intensity and passion. It was brilliant to see the reception they got as they left the stage, before we headed to refresh our glasses before the main act.
Set List
Black Days
Over and Over
Reign
All Over Now
Cut It
Burn the Vision
Wolf Machine
Hailing from the world capital of Grunge Seattle, Ayron Jones has a rich mix of musical influences, from Jimi Hendrix to Nirvana, mixed with rock and soulful blues. The full band are Ayron Jones (Guitar & Vocals), Matthew Jacquette (Guitar), Bob Lovelace (Bass Guitar) and Bobbi ‘Big Sexxxy’ Jimmi (Drums).
Arriving on stage Ayron leads them off into the first song, the first song on the latest album Boys from the Puget Sound from “Child of the State”. This is the track that got my attention on the album, and this live performance was sensational. For comparison, I got a real Lenny Kravitz vibe, but Ayron
Is most definitely his own man.
The band were full of energy, especially Bob on bass, resplendent in his massive Stetson cowboy hat, he is moving round, pulling shapes and faces for the crowd, encouraging us all to get involved. Matthew on guitar is all smiles and has a calming, welcoming presence. I can’t explain it, but in this small venue, there feels a real and genuine connection between band and audience.
Supercharged is a cracking track with velvety vocals and a powerful guitar riff, which builds the energy levels up ready for them to dive headlong into a cover of Nirvana’s Breed. True to it’s (and his) Seattle roots, it’s delivered in a rich grungy tone.
The next two show the diversity and range of their abilities. First up was Killing Season, with a great drum intro from Big Sexxxy as his sticks pounded the drumheads before the distorted guitars kick in giving the track a heavy feel. Bob is bouncing all over the stage posing with his bass. IN contrast, Spinning Circles follows and is more mellow and laid back. I love this track which showcases a wonderful mix of styles and influences.The start and parts feel like a soulful Seal number (like Kiss from a Rose), but then in the breaks, there is a real Nirvana-esque (Heart-Shaped Box) hook. Simply brilliant.
For me, my track of the night has to be Baptized in Muddy Waters which starts softly and builds before erupting with power chords. The vocals on this one are just stunning (both design and delivery). A song about writing and expressing yourself through music, I love the lines…
“Pain I feel
You won’t see in my eyes, no
I write it fown on paper,
and I let my fingers glide, oh
I’m tired of people
Pretending to know
Who I am, where I’m from
And where I’m bound to go, and
I’m tired of trying
And aiming to please
So I’m gonna play my music
And bring those people to their knees”
Again the quality of the guitar playing shines through with an incredible solo section.
The last track of the night is Take Me Away which, for me has a Prince vocal quality – soft, measured and yet full of emotion and angst. Simply stunning.
Funnily enough, talking of Prince, Bob picks up the set list and turns it over revealing a messzage saying one more song. The crowd cheer as Ayron starts to play, the unmistakable intro of Purple Rain. The crowd join in and sing along, before half way through Ayron invites a called called Anna up on to the stage whose birthday it is today. He encourages the crowds to join him in singing Happy Birthday to her in the key of Purple Rain…. Big Sexxxy keeps the beat going as everyone sngs along a wonderful soulful birthday wish. She heads off the stage as Ayron starts a guitar solo section to end all guitar solos. Clearly a song he has played many times and loves, the passion is evident. We even get a falsetto like vocal from Big Sexxxy on drums. As the track ends the crowd are cheering as Ayron says he’ll see folk at the merch table.
As we headed out in to the cool night looking for somewhere to eat, I reflected on the night performance. There s no doubting Ayron’s ability both with the guitar and in crafting fantastic lyrics. The band feel ‘as one’ throughout and just exude a passion for what they do and clearly enjy each others company and contributions.
I can only say, Ayron Jones is a great night out, and I’d definitely recommend you catch a show if you can.
Set List
Boys from the Puget Sound
Emily
Supercharged
Breed
On Two Feet
Filthy
Killing Season
Spinning Circles
Free
Take Your Time
Baptized in Muddy Waters
Mercy
Take Me Away
