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HOWARD JONES

So my antipathy towards Howard Jones is well documented. Lately, I am wont to refer to him as the “nail in synthpop’s coffin.” Ouch! That pretty much sums up my staunch resistance to what I felt were mushy, past their sell-by date synthpop tracks as played by a guy who I knew was a former Prog-head who was “going with the flow,” as it were, to hit the charts. As a former Prog-head myself [pot, meet the black kettle] sometimes, this approach worked like a fiend for me. I cite White Door, as an example. But not with Jones.

I had an earlier opportunity to see him live in 2016, and had the intention to do so, but we squandered all but three songs of his set for a fine lunch instead. Good thing, too. But I was really going to give HoJo one more chance; knowing as I did that his band now featured favorite bass/Chapman Stick player Nick Beggs. A man who can surely sit on the same shelf with Tony Levin and make me believe. So I was ready for anything when the middle placed set of ABC★★★ ended and the roadies were changing the set to accommodate Jones.

That I saw a plethora of bass frequency devices being set up, stage right, by Jones’ bass tech got the anticipation flowing within me. Fretted and fretless as well as an electric double bass. But first the pre-show music was on. And by all that’s holy, it was an all-synth arrangement of Aaron Copeland’s “Fanfare For The Common Man!!” Not a million miles away from the version that Emerson Lake + Palmer released in the entirely inappropriate year of 1977! As I strove to avoid queasiness, I hoped that this was not an ill omen. I had hoped in advance of the event that Mr. Jones would “let Beggs be Beggs.” What was delivered this evening would surpass my wildest dreams!

The band arrived on stage and there was Beggs on Chapman Stick, Robbie Bronninmann on synths [doubtlessly in charge of the canned rhythms as well], guitarist Robin Boult at stage left, and Jones himself, bounding on stage rocking a keytar! The opening song was one I barely recognized. “Pearl In The Shell” had been given a muscular injection of Chapman Stick heavy Funk and the weightless Synthpop had been altered almost beyond recognition into, oh my goodness, something approaching Art Rock! This was not your father’s Howard Jones.

Next came “New Song,” perhaps the most charming of Jones hits, but the complex bass frequencies rendered it in utterly new sonic finery. My only complaint so far was that it was too loud. As usual, the headlining act magically got another 20 dB of volume. Making me ludicrously happy that my brother-in-law offered some spare ear plugs before the show. I know, I know. It’s Howard Jones, not Judas Priest, but tell that to my sound level app!

Next came “Like To Get To Know You Well” and newer songs that I had no idea of what they were, but all of it was a far cry from the pallid sound that I remember from the 80s. Everything this evening was more complex and dynamic than my memories of Jones’ salad days. I had even hoped against hope to myself, that maybe Jones would give the spotlight to Beggs for a Kajagoogoo number and by thunder, he did just that!

Taking an opportunity to sit at his Roland and expound on the wonders of Kajagoogoo and how he was of the opinion that Nick Beggs should perhaps regroup the players for another go! Touting the worldwide number one [seven countries!] that was “Too Shy.” Ironically named, said Jones, who offered that anyone who knew Nick Beggs could hardly mistake him for a shrinking violet! And after a minute or two of setup, I actually got to hear Nick Beggs playing that bass line in what was an utterly credible cover [given tasty JazzFunk seasoning] of “Too Shy” with Jones’ acing Limahl’s vocals, it must be admitted! As hastily captured for your viewing pleasure below.

If I had to pick a favorite HoJo song, “Life In One Day” with its brilliant media mashup viddy by Godley + Creme was a likely winner. What it lost in not having Afrodiziak on backing vocals here it gained in grit and Funk with this band. Near the end of the set Jones slipped in another cover version with a song by The Killers; a band I still have not heard. The track was “Human” which from the title alone could have been a Jones number. “What Is Love” followed and then after a brief end of night break, the band came back for the encore that was by this point, inevitable; “Things Can Only Get Better.”

As the crowd had sang along with Jones the whole set, this time they went bonkers with the “woah woah woah’s.” As a non-fan, I was actually surprised at how the crowd were way into the show this evening. I think of Jones as a guy with maybe five Top 40 US singles, but checking the facts reveals that he had twice as many! Ten top 40 songs, when most of my favorite bands had, yes, five on average. And half of those were Top 20 hits. It’s no wonder the guy is always underfoot here in America! He’s probably as popular here as he was in the UK. <Monk checks the charts> Yep! Astonishing.

At the end of “Things Can Only Get Better” came the one huge stumble of the actually quite enjoyable set for me. Whoever told Jones that raving up an EDM coda to”Things Can Only Get Better” to end the evening should get a severe tongue lashing. Sure, sure. In 2016, it was insult to injury, but is EDM even a things in 2024? [This Monk hopes not] Such a gaffe had no place in what had been an ideal Howard Jones set for this admitted non-fan. That, and the fact that the sound levels had danced around the dreaded bass fracking volume levels. But If I got another chance to see this band perform Howard Jones material, I’d be tempted to give it another go. A greater endorsement, I cannot imagine from this Monk.

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