The sold-out final night of The Jim Jones All Stars’ I’m On Fire tour brings the band to London’s legendary Scala to promote their album Cat Fight. Before the headliners take the stage, however, there is a night of rock ’n’ roll, psychedelic noise and soul-fuelled mayhem to get through, beginning with the legendary Camden Cat, Daniel Jeanrenaud.
Jim Jones All Stars @ Brudenell Social Club
Playing solo, Jeanrenaud looks considerably more sober than he did during his late-night residency at the Marathon Kebab House in Chalk Farm. When we arrive, he is already performing his theme song, The Camden Cat, bringing a welcome dose of rock ’n’ roll swagger with his fringed Western shirt and cool guitar. Thankfully, It’s Gonna Rain holds off until we are inside. There are splashes of colour throughout his set, and he even wishes Chuck Berry a happy birthday while introducing Welcome Back Johnny Be Goode, a neat reworking of the original. A slower take on The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ I Believe I’m In Love With You allows room for some intense guitar flourishes, while Rock & Roll Queen brings a distinctly salacious edge. He finishes with Get Up, which has the feel of a revival-tent finale, leaving room for the drum fills before thanking the audience and wandering offstage.
The real surprise of the evening comes next. Spitfire are a band I remember seeing four or five times during their original early-1990s heyday, when they shared bills with Five Thirty and other psychedelic acts. I even bought their first three 12-inch singles, but had no idea they had reformed. Getting to see their second comeback show is therefore a welcome shock.
The band make an immediate impression, with extra stage lights aimed at the audience, leaving the musicians free to slither through the darkness. Minimal Love launches proceedings with a super-heavy riff and swirling psychedelic guitars, while Jeff Pitchers’ vocals bark out from beneath his crash helmet. The all-leather intensity is unmistakable. Hey Go Easy follows with a Stooges-like wall of noise and grinding riffs, pushing the performance towards a feverish, almost fetish-night intensity. This is music that demands to get greasy.
Did Super Baby really sound this heavy back in the day? I remember it being lighter than this, but the version delivered here is a ferocious onslaught. RIP My Sweetheart feels like being hit by an oncoming train, with a monstrous riff crashing into a wall of guitars. Wild Sunshine, from the Free Machine 12-inch, is transformed into a palpable squall of sound. The original’s acid haze is swept away in favour of something far more intense and confrontational.
The band then bring out their legendary original guitarist Steve White, taking us back to the Translucent EP for Six Million Dollar Man. Its psychedelic edge complements the monster riffage, while Jeff Pitchers’ barked vocals keep everything raw and uncompromising. They close with a colossal Dive, leaving no doubt that Spitfire are back to assault our senses with their walls of noise.
After the break, the legendary Gloria Jones is introduced by Rita D’Albert to testify that we are about to witness one of the greatest bands touring in 2026. Enter The Jim Jones All Stars, ready to unleash their own brand of Chaos Cosmos: an eight-headed monster of a band primed for a proper Cat Fight, led by Jim Jones’ super-intense vocals and guitar.
Jim makes it clear that they are here to deliver soul, and the band waste no time answering the call. The horn section becomes a rallying cry as they blast through Cement Mixer at what feels like 140 mph, with Gavin Jay leaping about while locking into the perfect bass lines. There is little chance of this band taking things gently, but when it comes to making it rain, they can certainly deliver.
Behind them, visuals featuring Raquel Welch and friends accompany Satan’s Got a Hard On, while Stuart Dace and Tom Hodges unleash dirty, grunting saxophone attacks. The groove is relentless, and Carlton Mounsher’s soul-infused guitar is far too good to exile. Jim may lament having to Let You Go, but with his wife Ali standing beside him, there is clearly more to the story. Meanwhile, Give Me The Grease finds him slithering across the stage as the band’s kinetic energy refuses to let up.
I’m On Fire turns the Scala into an inferno, with Elliot Mortimer’s piano seemingly trying to douse the flames. Before launching into Born To Ride, Jim asks whether there are any bikers in the audience, clarifying that the song is about motorcycles rather than sex. Either way, the result is full-on, piston-pumping action.
I Love You offers a rare moment of sentimentality, before the mood shifts again with Through With You. Jim follows it with I Want You Anyway I Can, which sounds even bigger than when we last saw the band. He then takes on Parchman Farm, proving that a white man can deliver the blues with real conviction. What follows is a full-on psychotic blues meltdown, before the band head Going Higher, their energy pouring from the stage while the audience looks on, almost exhausted just watching them.
They return to the band’s bedrock for the Stone Age rumble of Troglodyte, then offer A Lover’s Prayer, hoping that love does not have to mean pain. Rock & Roll Psychosis is frayed at the edges and intense in equal measure, before Drop Me In The Middle brings the main set to a close. Jim makes sure to thank the audience, who respond with the huge ovation the band deserve.
The encore begins with I Need Your Love, and the joy in the room is impossible to contain. Jim then gets his Voodoo Working, transfixing the audience once more. For the closing Don’t Let It Go, he brings out Luciano Oltramari from Oh! Gunquit to add a third saxophone, turning the finale into one last soul rave-up.
It is a fitting end to an immense performance, leaving the Scala buzzing after another reminder of just how vital The Jim Jones All Stars remain. With their combustible blend of rock ’n’ roll, blues, psychedelia and soul, they continue to be one of the most essential live bands around.
Live review of The Jim Jones All Stars @ Scala, London by Simon Phillips on 18th October 2026. Photos at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds by Emma Stone on 8th October 2026.
Share Thing