Jesus Jones 35 Year Anniversary of Doubt

Jesus Jones Watch Video

For Jesus Jones, the whole of 2024 was a very special year indeed.

“We were back on tour - but not just any old tour - a world tour” laughs the band’s vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter, Mike Edwards.

“We kept looking at each other and asking, ‘how is this still happening to us, thirty-five years later?’ We didn’t expect it, or seek it out, it just happened naturally. That put my faith back into being a musician. I never thought I’d still be doing what I do for a living, but here we are!” Edwards sounds genuinely amazed, but also thankful, and rather humble, too. It’s a far cry from the intense perfectionism, bordering on obsession, that marked the beginnings of his band’s career.

Jesus Jones formed back in 1988 in London, born out of the struggles of everyday bands and their battles to find their own voice. Edwards was frustrated with a lack of progress, and stung by a music business that seemed to have passed them by. That was until he came across an as-yet unproven new technology: sampling. A cheap guitar pedal could be tweaked to grab sounds and replay them, twisting them into new forms. That lightbulb moment led to their debut single “Info Freako,” a rapid-fire burst of anarchic sonic attack, with breakbeats and funky b-lines josting for attention over walls of brutal guitar and yelped vocals. It quickly set a blueprint and, armed with a proper-brand-new sampler, their debut album LIQUIDIZER soon followed.

The press in the UK finally sat up and took notice. Edwards was on a roll. That run of success quickly snowballed as the band released their second album DOUBT in 1991. The band’s pop sensibilities and innovative approach found new, eager audiences worldwide. The album became a phenomenon in the United States, selling over a million copies. Their single “Right Here, Right Now” became an iconic moment in the language of early 90’s crossover hits, racing to the top of the US charts. The band toured relentlessly with each American tour bigger than the last.

The band’s next album, 1993’s PERVERSE, saw them dive much deeper into the technology of the time, and they fashioned the entire record digitally. These days, using computers to create any form of music is a given, but back then, it felt almost revolutionary.

To the music press in thrall to emerging genres like Grunge and Britpop, something aiming to break boundaries consciously felt almost like a threat. The record didn’t receive the same plaudits as their previous work, and Jesus Jones were painted as a band not ahead of the time, but rather out of time. Over the decades though, PERVERSE has grown in stature and reverence - it’s become a touchstone for a huge range of artists attracted to its bleak worldview, its suffocating intensity, and its dark energy.

But after that record, things started to change.

After a long hiatus and beset by tensions within the band and the record company, 1997’s ALREADY finally emerged to a largely dismissive reception. Flashes of the band’s creativity remained very much intact, but the album’s tortuous route to release had strangled any sense of momentum. Jesus Jones appeared to vanish into the shadows. A self-released album (2001’s LONDON) seemed to be a swansong.

But their story was far from over.

Other bands might have called it a day, but Jesus Jones quickly realised they’d arrived at a place where they were finally happy. Freed of their record contract by 1998, there was no one to tell them when to record or tour. So they started to do things exactly as they wanted. Keyboard player Iain Baker assumed control of the band’s management and creative direction, and steered the Good Ship Jones back towards the public eye once again.

Over the last couple of decades, the band have been completely revitalised on stage and in terms of their output. They’ve released several compilation albums, as well as a definitive, 15-CD retrospective. All of the EMI-era albums have been repacked and re-released. They’ve undertaken many Record Store Day releases, and have also released brand-new material. 2018’s PASSAGES was a statement of intent and a swaggering return to form.

Their return to the live arena has been impressive as well. They’ve played all around the globe and massively increased their visibility at UK Festivals and venues. All of this culminated in a 35th anniversary world tour in 2023-24. The band played more gigs than at any point since 1993: they visited the UK, Japan, Australia and the USA (playing a proper tour, as well as other festival appearances). The world tour was bookended with a run of gigs and appearances on a cruise ship sailing to the Caribbean.

Among these shows, the band also found time to play a run of wildly successful gigs with their 90’s contemporaries EMF. The shows in 2024 were so well received that the tour will happen for a second time, in October 2025.

And amidst all of the activity, the band’s creativity shows no signs of slowing down. Edwards is hard at work with the band’s next album, scheduled for release later in 2025. It’s been teased with a number of singles - the double A-side “Still Smiling” / ”Blue Skies” and “Animal Instinct.”

Surreal Madrid Watch Video

Surreal Madrid are back.

Originally active from 1998–2002, Surreal Madrid emerged at the tail end of the 90s big-beat explosion, when genre lines were blurred and live electronic bands were loud, loose and fearless. The project began when Colin Owens (aka Chef) spent time in the studio with producers Steve Osborne and Paul Oakenfold, clocked an Akai sampler in action, and promptly went home to Liverpool to buy one himself.

One sampler, a drum machine and a top-floor flat on Rodney Street later, Surreal Madrid were born — much to the annoyance of the doctor whose surgery sat directly underneath. A handwritten note through the door read simply:

“Please… No More Boom Boom.”

The phrase stuck. It became the title of the band’s first (and so far only) album.

By 1998, Surreal Madrid had evolved into a full-throttle live three-piece, after manager and Liverpool promoter Marc Jones passed an early cassette to Bentley Rhythm Ace, who invited the band out on tour with them and Les Rhythm Digitale. The line-up sorted Chef with DJ Morf, Mark Davis (aka The Ginger Prince) on drums and Dave White (aka DJ Lucky Strike) on turntables — a collision of live drums, samples, synths and scratch DJ energy.

“We bought some chef outfits, got a drum kit, some turntables, a couple of synths, grabbed the sampler — and away we went.”

Riding the success of “Girls Of The Nite” — a Radio 1 favourite and cross-genre club hit thanks to heavyweight remixes — Surreal Madrid became a fixture on the UK and European festival circuit. Reading & Leeds, Benicàssim, T In The Park and beyond cemented their reputation as electro, big and bouncy, rocking good-time merchants. Additional firepower came from Ben Owens (aka DJ B Side), and shows with Fatboy Slim, Basement Jaxx, Dub Pistols, Lionrock, Malcolm McLaren, All Seeing I, Freddy Fresh and many more followed. The album No More Boom Boom, produced by Colin Owens and Anthony Chapman (Collapsed Lung / DJ Scissorkicks), was released on Fused & Bruised Records.

Press said: 

“The missing link between Acid House and Sonic Youth” — NME

“They say never die with too much fun in the bank — Surreal Madrid are already well overdrawn” — Melody Maker

Then came the legendary ending.

After a brutal drive home from a Polish festival — involving lost shoes, a broken-down van, a driver who quit in Germany, and total exhaustion — a Nord Synth was accidentally left on a wall in London. The band drove back to Liverpool before realising. The synth was never recovered, and Surreal Madrid quietly dissolved.

A year later, Psychic TV told a story in Q Magazine about finding a Nord Synth on a wall in London — and taking it as a sign to make more music.

Maybe it was always meant that way.

FAST FORWARD: 2026
In 2025, a conversation with James at Shiine On changed everything:

“Surreal Madrid were always a staple in our house — d’you want to play Shiine On in March 2026?”

Old hard drives were searched. The classics resurfaced. New tracks were written.

Surreal Madrid return in 2026 with:
• Chef
• DJ B Side
• The Ginger Prince
• Ken Box
• Louis “Party” Duarte

Same spirit. Same energy. Louder lessons learned.

FOR FANS OF
Funky Beats • Electro • Acid House • Rock ’n’ Roll • Electronic Chaos