Two years since he last visited the grand old city of York, New Yorker Jesse launched into his set with reckless abandon, hitting out with a volley of brand new material, before harking back to the olden days with tunes such as 'Queen of The Underworld' (lifted from his debut release, 'The Fine Art of Self-Destruction') and 'Black Haired Girl' (one of the finest cuts on his sensational 'Glitter in The Gutter' LP).
Backed by The St. Mark's Social, Jesse larked about on the confined stage like a kid who'd been swallowing sweets for the best part of three weeks, energising the crowd as he excitedly leapt. It was a tragic shame that the crowd was so small, but that's what happens when it's a beautiful summer's evening and the World Cup's dominating the planet's collective consciousness. In spite of the lack of fans in attendance, Jesse injected his all into every song aired in his eighty-minute set.
The last ten years have seen Jesse edge away from his punk roots into more melancholic territory. Still, at regular points in the evening's set, he joyously lapsed into his old role as punk-rocker with a couple of truly storming numbers that took the audience by surprise. It was as though D-Generation had suddenly stormed the stage. However, Mr Malin knows how to slow affairs down accordingly, and his devastating version of 'Solitaire' aspired to induce an outpouring of tears en-masse. Arguably his most emotional song from his masterwork of a debut album, 'Solitaire' defines Jesse's talent as a songwriter in many ways, going above and beyond the call of duty in terms of showing how he can project raw emotion with heart-attacking sincerity.
For much of the set, Malin stood centre-stage, accompanied by his 'PMA'-promoting electric and acoustic guitars. Only rarely did he surrender his six-strings in order to serenade the barrier. In the past, it has been common for Jesse to vault over into the proverbial 'pit' at many gigs in order to get up close and personal with his fans whilst performing his haunting cover version of Neil Young's 'Helpless', yet Jesse stayed on his stage of the barrier for the duration this time around, much to the disappointment of a few fans who revel in the exhilaration that his presence awards.
A stampeding 'Prisoners of Paradise' couldn't fail to get the crowd jumping, before a rousing 'Brooklyn' mesmerised the already-spellbound venue with its sentiments. However, Jesse and band saved the most reflective and thought-provoking song for last: 'Almost Grown.' Stunning in its lyrical simplicity, Jesse laments, 'When you're all alone, when you're all alone, when you're all alone, then you're almost grown.'
Those fans who had made it to 'Fibbers' were just thankful that they'd been able to grow with him.
