Originally published by The Birmingham Mail. July 2009.

There are some bands that prove that there will always be a call for the music that defined the late 1970’s.

With political unrest in the country and a generation of music fans clamouring for a change, the original mod revival/punk rock band The Jam took the call to arms and created timeless music.

Original members Bruce Foxton and Rick Butler are now touring as From The Jam and they opened their Robin 2 show with To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have A Nice Time) from the 1978 album All Mod Cons.

Straightaway the packed audience were enthusiastically cheering, and it almost reached fever pitch as they went into Modern World, Pretty Green and the Ray Davies penned David Watts.

With bassist Foxton still manages to make playing the instrument look simple, energetic and fun. Other hits followed as the group stormed through That’s Entertainment, the painfully ironic Little Boy Soldiers and Start! before closing with a superb version of Down In The Tube Station at Midnight.

The crowd were richly rewarded with some top-notch for the encores, including A Town Called Malice and Going Underground.

Guitarist Russell Hastings comes across as enjoying himself more on stage than previous lead man Paul Weller.

Ian D. Hall