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Jesus Jones are a British
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band from
Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in west Wiltshire (district), Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restauran ...
in
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
, formed in late 1988, who continue to record and perform, as of 2025. 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 Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, and is certainty, uncertain about them. Doubt on an emotional level is indecision between belief and wikt:disbelief, disbelief. It may i ...
''. They also achieved chart success with the songs " Real Real Real", " International Bright Young Thing" and "Info Freako".


Career


''Liquidizer, Doubt'' and ''Perverse'' (1989–1995)

In 1989 Jesus Jones released their debut album '' Liquidizer'', featuring the singles "Info Freako", "Never Enough" and "Bring it on Down". In the spring of 1990, Jesus Jones recorded their second album, ''
Doubt Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, and is certainty, uncertain about them. Doubt on an emotional level is indecision between belief and wikt:disbelief, disbelief. It may i ...
'', but their
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
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 was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, and reached No. 2 in the US and No. 31 in the UK. In June 1990, Jesus Jones appeared at the
Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
. 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 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. 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 honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
. In April 1991, the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
music magazine ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' 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 and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...
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
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
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, and was published as a book to buy from the usual outlets. The band remained in contact and came back with a new drummer Tony Arthy with the low-selling ''
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
'' in 2001 on the
indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...
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 creat ...
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
whilst the band moved from the North American-only Mi5 to the newly established Mi5 Recordings UK.


Later activities (2004–2015)

With the exception of the release of the ''
Culture Vulture Culture Vulture was an American-bred, British-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse. At the inaugural Cartier Racing Awards in 1991, she was named European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. In her championship season she won four of her six races ...
'' 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., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...
. The release consisted of six different albums containing "in concert" performances at the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, such as London T+C 1991 and London Astoria 1993. In 2005, the Live at the Marquee DVD was released on Secret Recordings of a filmed gig from 2002. 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 meanings that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...
for the American
retailer Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesal ...
Kmart Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...
, in an image campaign for
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...
, and in promotional advertisements for the now-defunct television channel
TechTV TechTV was an American cable television channel with a focus on technology. It was launched as ZDTV on May 11, 1998, by computer magazine publisher Ziff Davis, Ziff-Davis following two short-lived technology-based programs by the company. Init ...
. In 2007 Hillary Clinton used the track for her electoral campaign.
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
used "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 are 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 were signed by Warner Music and released their first album, '' Super ...
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 World Rugby, International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japa ...
. 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 The Wonder Stuff are a British alternative rock musical ensemble, band. Originally based in Stourbridge in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, the band's first lineup released four albums and nearly 20 singles and EPs, enjoying ...
's Sleigh The UK tour. In March 2015, the band again returned to Australia and New Zealand for a five city tour.


Later activities (2015-current)

Jesus Jones have released further albums, namely "Passages" and "Voyages" in 2018 with further singles "Still Smiling" and "Animal Instinct" distributed online on youtube, spotify, bandcamp in 2024. They continue to actively tour the world, with EMF UK dates in October 2025.


Band members

* Mike Edwards (born Michael James Edwards, 22 June 1964, Educated at St Laurence Secondary School in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England) (
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
)
vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
,
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
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, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...
, 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 Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
)
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
(1988–present) * Gary Thatcher - bass on selected dates. * 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 around southwest of Charing Cross and around east by north of Sutton town centre, in the valley of the Rive ...
,
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
)
– keyboards, programming (1988–present) * Gen (born Simon Edward Robert Matthews, 23 April 1964,
Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...
,
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
)
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 –
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 (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 ''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'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...
'' (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) *2005 '' Live at the Marquee'' (Live DVD) *2008 ''The Remixes'' (Remix download album) *2010 ''BBC in Concert 26th February 1991'' ''London T+C'' *2010 ''BBC in Concert 30th March 1993'' ''London Astoria'' *2013 ''Liquidizer Live DVD''


References


Further reading

*


External links


Official website

Archive of gigs, discography, history & photos

Allmusic entry for Jesus Jones

cmapworld.org
fansite.
Facebook official fan group
{{Authority control English alternative rock groups English electronic music groups Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups from Wiltshire Alternative dance musical groups 1986 establishments in the United Kingdom