As
the Rolling Stones wound down at the end of a year in which
they reclaimed their title as the top-earning live act in
the history of pop, the group’s most celebrated clones
continued on their never-ending round of shows at somewhat
more intimate venues.
The
Rollin Stoned began eight years ago when “Byron Jones”,
formerly of the Counterfeit Stones, jumped ship and started
his own tribute band. Since then Jones and his dedicated gang
of doppelgängers — Mick Jaguar, Keith Retched, Bill
Wymandy, Charlie Waits and Mick Waylor — have built an
entertaining show that is an affectionate and skilfully observed
homage to their idols, albeit with an undercurrent of gentle
parody never too far from the surface.
To
begin with at the Boom Boom Club, Jones was nowhere to be
seen, and the show was dominated by the sleek-torsoed Mick
and a convincingly rumpled Keith as the band punched their
way through a swift string of numbers stretching from Route
66, released in 1964, to Start Me Up, the band’s last
Top Ten single, released as long ago as 1981.
The
vintage stage costumes — an era-mangling combination
of 1960s
hippy and 1970s glam-rock chic 
—
were matched by the period detail of the musical equipment;
the overall sound, particularly of the older numbers, was
probably
more “authentic” than the Stones themselves would
be inclined to muster at this stage. While Mick’s vocals
inevitably fell a little short of the original and Keith’s,
by the same token, were just a little too good,
the band’s musicianship and attention to detail were
faultless.
It
wasn’t until Jones arrived, wearing a pair of angel’s
wings, holding a tambourine “halo” over his head
and swigging from a wine bottle, that the performance really
started to gel. Looking uncannily like the late Brian Jones,
with his blond bouffant and outsized shades, he apologised
for his late arrival, explaining that he had been sidetracked
into playing a game of Monopoly in Heaven with James Brown
and Bob Marley.
The
band then set off on She’s a Rainbow, which was followed
by Not Fade Away, Paint It Black and 
Ruby
Tuesday, each song featuring Jones in a different role (percussion,
harmonica, Indian guitar, recorder), all of which he handled
with considerable aplomb while flashing that famously stoned
Cheshire cat grin. The group’s ability to recreate the
magic of the Stones’ classics was demonstrated time and
again on numbers including Sympathy for the Devil, Get off
of My Cloud, It’s only Rock ’n’ Roll and a
grand finale of Brown Sugar.
But
the genius of the show resided in the treatment of some of
the band’s lesser-known songs, including a faultless
Carol and a slightly hesitant Beast of Burden. A wonderful
version of Run Rudolph Run, an obscure Chuck Berry number
sung by Keith, ended with a blast of fake snow across the
front of the stage, adding a seasonal touch to a show of timeless
charm.
See
Photo review of Half Moon Christmas Show
