Jesus Jones are a British

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

band from Bradford-on-Avon in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, formed in late 1988, who continue to record and perform, as of 2021. Their track " Right Here, Right Now" was an international hit, and was subsequently globally licensed for promotional and advertising campaigns. The single was also nominated for a Grammy award at the

34th Annual Grammy Awards The 34th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1992, recognizing accomplishments by musicians from the previous year (1991). Natalie Cole won the most awards (three), including Album of the Year. Paul Simon opened the show. Performers ...

in 1991, as was its album, '' Doubt''. They also achieved chart success with the songs "

Real Real Real "Real Real Real" is a song from the UK band Jesus Jones' 1991 album '' Doubt''. It was released in 1990 as the first single from ''Doubt'', just prior to the release of the album. It was succeeded by the ''Billboard A billboard (also calle ...

", "

International Bright Young Thing "International Bright Young Thing" is a song by the British alternative dance band Jesus Jones. It was released as the third single from their second album '' Doubt'', and was a top-ten hit in Britain. It followed " Real Real Real" and " Right Here ...

" and "Info Freako".

Career

Formation and ''Liquidizer'' (1986–1989)

Incorporating elements of

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...

styles such as

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

and

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

to an

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produ ...

format, along with fellow British groups such as

The Shamen The Shamen ( ) were a Scottish psychedelic band, formed in 1985 in Aberdeen, who became a chart-topping British electronic dance music act by the early 1990s. The founding members were Colin Angus, Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie. Peter St ...

Pop Will Eat Itself Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorp ...

and EMF, Jesus Jones were one of the leading purveyors of the early 1990s

alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...

scene. In late 1988, while on holiday in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, Mike Edwards, Gen, and Al Doughty decided to leave the band they were in at the time, and form their own band. The name of the band came about when they realised that they were three "Joneses" sitting on a beach in Spain surrounded by people called Jesus. Back in London they advertised in the music press for a guitarist, and Jerry De Borg joined the band. Edwards had recently met Iain Baker in a pub in North London, they had got talking as they recognised each other as skateboarders, due to their footwear. Edwards asked Baker to join as the keyboardist and the line-up was complete. They achieved initial critical acclaim with their 1989

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

'' Liquidizer'', and in particular, the single "Info Freako", which featured buzzing rock

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

s with

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of ...

s and a hip-hop sensibility, relatively new at the time. The track was particularly championed by

Bruno Brookes Trevor Neil "Bruno" Brookes (born 1959 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English former radio presenter who became prominent on British radio in the 1980s. He was CEO of in-store radio company Immedia from 2000–2020. Early life and care ...

on his

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

programme.

''Doubt'' and ''Perverse'' (1990–1995)

In the spring of 1990, Jesus Jones recorded their second album, '' Doubt'', but their

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

was forced to delay its release until the beginning of 1991. The album sold well, due to the success of " Right Here, Right Now". The song is about the swift end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

, and reached No. 2 in the US and No. 31 in the UK. In June 1990, Jesus Jones appeared at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

. Other singles from ''Doubt'' included "Real, Real, Real" and "International Bright Young Thing", which became two of their biggest

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s in the UK, reaching No. 19 and No. 7 respectively in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In 1991, Jesus Jones were the only UK winners when they won the Best New Artist award at the

MTV Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video categor ...

. In April 1991, the British music magazine '' NME'' reported that their US tour had sold out before Jesus Jones arrived in the country. The follow-up to ''Doubt'' was '' Perverse'' (1993), a darker and more industrial based album, which, though a big seller, did not reach the worldwide hit status of ''Doubt''. ''Perverse'' was one of the first rock albums recorded entirely digitally.

''Already'' and ''London'' (1996–2003)

After the release of the ''Perverse'' album, Jesus Jones took an extended hiatus and did not return to the

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enou ...

until December 1996. After the recording of their fourth album, drummer Gen left the band before the album was released. They released their fourth album, titled '' Already'', in 1997 after which Jesus Jones and their

EMI parted company. The final months of the band are chronicled in the PDF book written by Mike Edwards "Death Threats From An 8 Year Old In The Seychelles", which was available for a time from the band's website. The band remained in contact and came back with a new drummer Tony Arthy with the low-selling ''

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' in 2001 on the indie record label Mi5 Recordings. EMI issued ''Never Enough: the Best of Jesus Jones'', a

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

whilst the band moved from the North American-only Mi5 to the newly established Mi5 Recordings UK.

Later activities (2004–present)

With the exception of the release of the '' Culture Vulture'' EP in 2004, no new material from the band had been released between 2001 and 2018. However, in 2010, a series of download albums were released to

Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...

. The release consisted of six different albums containing "in concert" performances at the BBC. Most were EPs but a few were live albums. The single "Right Here, Right Now" was resurrected in 2006 as an advertising

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

for the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

retailer Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...

Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...

, in an image campaign for

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...

, and in promotional advertisements for the now defunct television channel,

TechTV TechTV is a defunct 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming ...

Ford Motors Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobile ...

was using "Right Here, Right Now" in their 2010 televisual advertising campaign. A cover of the song was also recorded by New Zealand band

The Feelers The Feelers is a New Zealand pop rock band formed in the early 1990s in Christchurch by James Reid (singer/guitarist) and Hamish Gee (drums/guitar). History The Feelers was signed by Warner Music and released their first album, '' Supersyste ...

to use in advertising for the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South ...

. In 2011 the band released '' The Collection & Other Rarities'', which included many of their B-side tracks as well as demos and rarities. In November 2014 EMI reissued all four of the band's albums in a special CD+DVD bundle. In addition to the original album's tracks the reissues feature radio sessions, long-deleted b-sides, rare remixes and alternate versions. The DVDs include rare live concert footage and other extras. In a 2015 interview for the online periodical ''Soot Magazine'' band leader Mike Edwards acknowledged that, besides re-recording some older tracks with new arrangements, he was in the process of writing material for a new album: "I am writing new stuff – I was actually writing some new material yesterday and I have loads of little bits and pieces ticking over." Since the mid-2000s, Jesus Jones have continued performing live. In August 2011 the band went on a short tour (dubbed on one poster "The World's Smallest World Tour"), playing three shows in Australia before closing with a show in Japan. In November 2011 the band were due to perform in the UK in Birmingham and London, but the dates were postponed due to bass player Al Doughty being ill. They took place in January 2012. The band also toured the UK in December 2013 as part of The Wonder Stuff's Sleigh The UK tour. In March 2015 the band again returned to Australia and New Zealand for a five city tour. On 24 December 2013 the band announced the resignation of drummer Tony Arthy. Having been with the band for 13 years, Arthy had replaced original drummer Simon "Gen" Matthews who had left after the rocky completion of '' Already''. On 1 January 2014 the band announced that Matthews would be rejoining the band. The band announced that a new album called ''Passages'' would be released in 2017. On 9 November 2017, Iain Baker posted an update via PledgeMusic.com that the album release was being postponed until 20 April 2018 due mainly to the logistics of the release. The album was finally released 20 April 2018 via PledgeMusic.

Band members

* Mike Edwards (born Michael James Edwards, 22 June 1964, Educated at St Laurence Secondary School in Bradford on Avon, Witshire, England) (

) –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

s, keyboards (1988–present) * Jerry De Borg (born Jerry de Abela Borg, 30 October 1960,

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...

, London) – guitars (1988–present) * Al Doughty (born Alan Jaworski, 31 January 1966,

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

) –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

(1988–present) * Iain Baker (born Iain Richard Foxwell Baker, 29 September 1965,

Carshalton Carshalton () is a town, with a historic village centre, in south London, England, within the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated south-southwest of Charing Cross, in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshalto ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

) – keyboards, programming (1988–present) * Gen (born Simon Edward Robert Matthews, 23 July 1964, Devizes,

) –

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s, additional percussion (1988–1997 then 2014–present) ;Former members * Tony Arthy –

s (1999–2013)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

*1993 ''Scratched: Unreleased Rare Tracks & Remixes'' (Japan only) *1999 ''Greatest Hits'' *2002 '' Never Enough: The Best of Jesus Jones'' *2011 ''The Collection: A Selection of Band Favourites and Rarities'' *2018 ''Voyages'' *2018 ''Zeroes and Ones: The Best of Jesus Jones (2-CD compilation)'' *2022 ''Some of the Answers (15-CD boxed set)''

EPs

Singles

Video albums

*1991 ''Big in Alaska''

Other

*1990 ''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

'' (a.k.a. ''Move Mountains & 4 More'') (US-only live EP) *1991 ''Live in Alaska'' (German-only live VHS) *1993 ''A Perverse Conversation with Jesus Jones'' (US-only interview promo) *1993 ''Zeroes & Heroes'' (Double EP) *1997 ''4 Track Sampler for Promo Only'' (Promo EP) *1998 ''Back 2 Back Hits'' (US-only 'Best of' with EMF) *2002 ''Never Enough The Best of Jesus Jones'' (Videos DVD) *2003 '' Live at the Marquee'' (Live DVD) *2005 '' Live at the Marquee'' (Live download album) *2008 ''The Remixes'' (Remix download album) *2010 ''BBC in Concert 26th February 1991'' (Live download album)

References

External links

Official website

Archive of gigs, discography, history & photos

Allmusic entry for Jesus Jones
{{Authority control English alternative rock groups English electronic music groups Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups from London Alternative dance musical groups 1986 establishments in the United Kingdom