It had been a while since I last photographed Mystery Jets. The first time was back in 2006, when they appeared alongside Arctic Monkeys, Maxïmo Park and We Are Scientists on the NME Awards Tour, followed by another encounter at Bristol’s Dot to Dot Festival in 2008. Eighteen years later, Monday night’s intimate Rough Trade show was a very welcome reunion.
The band are back after some time away from touring, with seventh studio album A Hole To See The Sky Through, their first in six years, arriving this week. Their Bristol record-store show offered an early taste of the new material alongside some familiar favourites.
In the confines of a small, increasingly sweaty Rough Trade, the atmosphere was excellent from the start. New tracks including A Hole To See The Sky Through I, Doomsday and Long Lonely Road fitted comfortably alongside Serotonin and Bubblegum, before the night’s standout moment arrived during Young Love.
Explaining that Laura Marling had sung on the original but couldn’t be there, the band asked if anyone in the audience fancied taking her part. One volunteer stepped forward and, when asked if she could sing, admitted she couldn’t, but did know the words. And that was good enough! She proved more than up to the task, looking completely at home on stage and earning high fives from the band before returning to the crowd.
An additional song rounded out the set, before the band stayed behind to sign records, chat and swap stories with fans. For a band returning with their first album in six years, it was a brilliantly relaxed way to reconnect: great songs, a packed room and the kind of spontaneous moment you only really get at shows this intimate.
