From The Jam at The Assembly, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire on 12.4.2025 with London Calling supporting.
A new venue for me. This original 1926 art deco style building, ‘The Bath Assembly’, had periods of closure and a spell as a Gala Bingo Hall before reopening as a music venue in August 2008, with many features renovated with input from Lawrence Lewellyn-Bowen.
The standing capacity is 1000, as it is tonight (500 if seated) and there is a very small rear balcony with some seats and standing room, with a decent view – I’m up on that tonight with tickets at a slight premium (£50 v £35ish). We were fortunate to get room on a bench. (Some inside images on The Assembly website.)
The bar is well staffed so no waiting and a selection of decent cans and bottles. No wine by the glass but bottles of white wine at £20 was appreciated, and then abused. Well, bit of a special one this as staying over in the Premier Inn on the main street, The Parade – what a thoroughly pleasant town to be in – even better than I recall from the 80s and 90s.
Lovely parks and a few convenient large pubs near to the bottom end of town, where the venue is (such as the Old Library).
Tonight’s support band is a Clash tribute band, London Calling. I’ve seen them before and once again they are excellent – really enjoyable. As we’re watching from the back you could easily make believe you are watching The Clash, especially after a bottle of wine.
Why all the way to Leamington Spa to see From The Jam, a few have asked. Time is running out. With just Bruce Foxton as the original Jam band member these days it was sad to hear he was retiring after the end of this Setting Sons tour – he’s 69 now and recovering from knee surgery which forced him to miss a lot of this tour, but it’s not been his only health problem in recent years. I couldn’t make Guildford, London or any gigs near me, so here we are.
It’s only a few weeks since the death of The Jam, and subsequently From The Jam, drummer, Rick Buckler (aged 69). Our generation is dying. The Buckler backdrop is there throughout the From The Jam performance. Respect and the memory is acknowledged without turning another gig into a memorial service. Frontman Russell Hastings comments, “as Rick would say, let’s get on with it”…and they do.
The drummer these days is Mike Randon. Bruce Foxton doesn’t join the band and replace the stand-in bassist until well into the set and plays about the last 25 minutes.
Of course the songs are great – it gets the hairs on the back of your neck up at times. Russell Hastings is so Weller sounding.
Bruce doesn’t say much – he’s just pleased to have made it and appreciative of the audience in his quiet, unfussy way. No leaps in the air these days.
Setting Sons is a great album to have the spotlight on. The likes of Smithers-Jones; Thick as Thieves, the wonderful Saturday’s Kids and of course Eton Rifles. Bruce’s big one is David Watts there is a selection of other hits later on.
Down In The Tube Station At Midnight is hard to match, in any company and the same can be said of one I video, captured here on my YouTube channel – Going Underground.
What are we left with when Bruce goes? Will From The Jam continue? There’s no doubt they can and would still be a good night out, but is it then just another tribute band, like London Calling we saw earlier.
Doctor Feelgood continue with no original members, The Stranglers as big and popular as ever with one original member. I guess we just see what Russell wants to do and if they can still sell enough tickets to make it worth it . In the meantime, we enjoy it while we can.
Thanks Bruce; thanks Rick, thank you Mr Weller for the songs and thanks Russell and others for keeping The Jam songs alive.
Gigs with Ivan 