By Cédric Vernet 
When it comes to music, Joe Jackson is one of those artists who have never felt the need to pick a side, moving freely between rock, pop, jazz, funk and Latin rhythms. On Tuesday, October 13, at Radiant-Bellevue in Caluire-et-Cuire, near Lyon, the British musician revisited almost fifty years of music while giving plenty of room to his new album, Hope and Fury. Nineteen songs, four outstanding musicians and a smiling, talkative Joe Jackson, determined to communicate with the audience in his own “bad French”.
To open the evening, Joe Jackson needs nothing more than a piano. In the silence of the hall, he begins with Is She Really Going Out With Him?, one of the standout tracks from Look Sharp!, his 1979 debut album. Back then, the British musician emerged during the new wave explosion, but he would soon move into very different musical territory. In this stripped-down version, the song is a reminder of his remarkable gift for melody. All it really needs is his piano and that voice, which grabs you from the very first notes. “He’s still got one hell of a voice,” whispers the man sitting next to us. He’s right, and that voice will prove to be one of the highlights of the evening.
Graham Maby joins him on bass for It’s Different for Girls. The two men have been playing together for almost fifty years. A remarkable musical partnership, especially considering the many directions Joe Jackson has taken throughout his career.
Next come Teddy Kumpel on guitar, Doug Yowell on drums and Felipe Fournier on percussion. With Welcome to Burning-by-Sea, the band moves into material from Hope and Fury, Jackson’s new album, released this spring. Inspired by Portsmouth, where Joe Jackson grew up, the song already displays the ironic view of British society that runs through much of his writing. It also inspired the striking photograph used on the album cover.
No backing tracks, no safety net
There’s a reason behind this particular line-up. For this tour, Joe Jackson has decided to do away with pre-recorded backing tracks and computer programming. Everything has to be played live, with all the freedom and risks that entails. Bringing Felipe Fournier into the band on percussion makes it possible to recreate the Latin influences in Jackson’s music without relying on machines.
And you can hear the difference. All five musicians play together, the arrangements have room to breathe and everyone finds their place without ever, and we mean ever, slipping into pointless technical showmanship.
On I’m Not Sorry, the percussion adds a touch of bossa nova. Another World, from Night and Day (1982), brings back the Latin rhythms that marked a turning point in Joe Jackson‘s career. Just three years after Look Sharp!, he had already moved well beyond new wave, incorporating jazz, funk and Latin influences into his compositions. Graham Maby delivers a short bass solo, complete with a broad smile and knowing glances towards his longtime bandleader.
Doug Yowell‘s drums and Felipe Fournier‘s percussion add depth and texture, while Teddy Kumpel‘s guitar fits naturally into the arrangements without constantly demanding the spotlight. On Fool, from the 2019 album of the same name, this approach works particularly well. The band is incredibly tight, yet every musician has the freedom to express himself.
The new album gets its fair share
Five songs from Hope and Fury make the setlist, accounting for more than a quarter of the concert. That’s quite something for an artist whose biggest hits date back to the years between 1979 and 1984. Alongside Welcome to Burning-by-Sea and I’m Not Sorry, Joe Jackson performs After All This Time, The Face and End of the Pier. The Face is a pleasant surprise, having been absent from the previous night’s show at the Olympia in Paris. Lucky us!
With Sunday Papers, we’re back to the early days of Look Sharp!. The band is clearly having such a good time that Joe Jackson suddenly bursts into laughter, leaving him unable to sing for a few seconds. This is exactly the kind of feel-good evening we love!
Jackson seems particularly relaxed throughout the show. At one point, he explains that the stage lighting makes it difficult for him to see the audience. The house lights come on and he’s delighted to spot a few smiling faces. “It’s a relief, you know. I mean, there’s people here. Thank God!” So British!
On Strange Land, also from Fool, Felipe Fournier switches to an electronic vibraphone, adding yet another colour to the arrangements.
“Back to the eighties!”
After inviting the audience to applaud his percussionist, Joe Jackson announces a return to the 1980s. Be My Number Two, from Body and Soul (1984), followed by Real Men, from Night and Day, reveal a more melodic and sometimes more serious side of his songwriting.
Joe Jackson enjoys talking between songs. And at Radiant-Bellevue, he’s determined to do as much of it as possible in French, occasionally relying on a few notes. He apologises in advance for his “bad French”, which actually has plenty of charm.
He becomes particularly talkative before End of the Pier. Usually, he explains, he spends quite a while introducing this song in English. Tonight, he’s going to attempt the same thing in French. “Usually, in English, I talk a lot about this next song because there’s a lot to say. I’ll try to give you the general idea.”
And off he goes, launching into several minutes of explanations, struggling with French conjugations and occasionally switching back to English when he can’t find the right words. The audience laughs but follows his little lesson in British history with interest.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, British seaside resorts were hugely popular. Their piers hosted shows, musicians and all kinds of entertainment. Joe Jackson knows this world well, having grown up in a coastal town himself.
But the expression end of the pier eventually came to describe old-fashioned, outdated entertainment. Jackson offers a French translation: “Un divertissement démodé et ringard.” He seems particularly delighted with the word “ringard”, the French equivalent of “uncool” or “old-fashioned”. “What a great word!” he exclaims, before adding, still in French: “I think that’s a shame because, actually, back then, there was some really good music and some brilliant performers.”
The song then jumps forward a century. In 1921, everyone is having fun by the seaside. By 2021, things have changed: lockdown, lousy video games and, eventually, the pier going up in flames. “It’s not exactly the happiest song on the album. But for me, it might be the best one.”
This lengthy introduction offers a better understanding of Hope and Fury. Joe Jackson looks at changes in society with plenty of irony, but also with a certain nostalgia for popular forms of entertainment that he explored on What a Racket! (2023), his project devoted to early twentieth-century British music hall.
From London in 1979 to New York in 1982
As the concert enters its final stretch, Joe Jackson decides it’s time to introduce his four musicians. “I think it’s time to introduce the band, because I think they’re worth introducing!”
New Yorker Teddy Kumpel receives a warm round of applause, as does Doug Yowell, from New Jersey. Introducing Felipe Fournier, who comes from Costa Rica, Jackson jokes about his French-sounding name. And, of course, there’s a particularly enthusiastic reception for Graham Maby, his longtime musical companion.
Jackson then announces what’s coming next: “We’re going to go all the way back to the first album, which means London, 1979. And then we’re going to go straight from there to New York City in about 1982.” That means Look Sharp!, Target and Steppin’ Out.
Three songs, but essentially one continuous musical journey. Look Sharp! kicks off with its rock energy before the band moves straight into Target, from Night and Day. The next transition is even better. The rhythms of Target gradually blend into those of Steppin’ Out, almost as though the musicians were mixing the tracks live like a DJ.
On the original Night and Day album, Target already comes immediately before Steppin’ Out. Forty-four years later, the transition still works brilliantly. And with no backing tracks involved, the whole thing relies entirely on the musicians’ playing. Hats off!
During Steppin’ Out, the musicians gradually leave their instruments and walk off stage, one after another. Felipe Fournier is the last to go, keeping the rhythm going for a few more moments before disappearing himself…
David Bowie makes a surprise appearance
For the encore, Joe Jackson returns with a cover of Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) by David Bowie. He explains that he knew Bowie a little, liked him and admired him. “He’s not with us anymore, unfortunately. His name was David Bowie.”
The funk then returns with You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want), from Body and Soul. One last chance to appreciate the collective playing of a band that moves between musical styles with remarkable ease.
Joe Jackson invites the audience to applaud his musicians once again. Before wrapping things up, he thanks the crowd, which, it must be said, has been rather lacking in warmth tonight at the Radiant. “Thank you very much for supporting us. And thank you for supporting live music.”
But Joe Jackson still has one last song to play. His four bandmates leave the stage, and he finds himself alone at the piano once again, just as he was at the beginning of the evening. He closes with Home Town, from Big World (1986), and that voice we hope will keep ringing in our ears for a long time.
What we’ll remember most from this concert is Joe Jackson‘s remarkably preserved voice, his piano playing and the outstanding work of his four musicians. But also a smiling singer, occasionally unable to contain his laughter, taking the time to explain his songs in slightly broken French. At 72, the British musician continues to perform his new compositions with just as much conviction as his classics. And after almost fifty years in music, he still seems to enjoy playing as much as ever.
Photos: Cédric Vernet