AGENTSAGE OF MAYHEM
PS4,PS4 XBOX ONE
but after a while I relaxed a bit and got on with it. I had quite a good time and I realised I could enjoy being on stage sober. It was a major revelation.
“The thing about being in a band is, no matter what level you get to, even if you get to the dizzy heights of playing stadiums or you’re Bruce Springsteen, you’re still going to be that same little creep that started in the first place.
“I’m still just spotty little Jim from East Kilbride, trying to get through life, and I like to think everyone else is too.”
After the comeback gig, they couldn’t face going back into the studio after the long-drawn-out experience of making 1997’s Munki – their first not to make the top 40.
But they got round to it eventually. Damage and Joy’s release – and the reaction to it – has been a relief because the band are proud to have produced something that’s undeniably Mary Chain through and through.
Jim said: “I think it stands up with the other Mary Chain records, so it’s great we’ve had a generally positive response.”
Parallels could be drawn between today and the social climate of the 80s when Jim was starting out but he thinks young people have got it a lot tougher now.
He said: “When I was growing up, I thought the world was a dangerous and scary place.
“But it seems to have ratcheted up a gear or two, it’s mental what’s going on.
“I worry for my kids’ future and I can’t get my head round Trump running America and all the bombs going off left, right and centre, it’s utterly terrifying.”
The success of the latest offerings seems to have rekindled their passion and plans are afoot for more new releases and tour dates in the near future – but definitely no nasty surprises.
Jim added: “We’ve got enough songs for another record so we’ll probably do that after this tour is done. And we’ll just continue as we’ve always done.
“Everyone asks me if I get sick of the old songs like April Skies but I don’t.
“I might look miserable on stage but that’s just me.
“I’m not a natural performer, I get nervous so I just concentrate on singing songs. I’m not Mick Jagger, I don’t do the banter.
“But I am having a good time, and let’s be honest, if I started all that now, people would be pretty scared and would probably run away.” ● The Jesus and Mary Chain are at Electric Fields, Dumfriesshire, on September 2 and Glasgow’s O2 ABC on September 23. HAVINGHAVIN loved Gat Out of Hell a couple of years ago, I ffancied Agents of Mayhem because it shares the samesa universe.
DevelopedDev by Volition, who brought us the madcapmadca Saints Row series, I knew right away I was in for a treat, a real throwback to the mid-80s cartoonscartoo I enjoyed as a fresh-faced kid on a Saturday morning.
The game’s visual style is just like that colourful good guy vs bad guy cartoon we all remember getting up early to watch (there are too many great ones to mention but think Ulysses 31 mixed with X-Men for style).
Combat is great once you get started and the diverse array of brilliant characters to choose from is second to none for these types of games.
The plot revolves around an organisation known as M.A.Y.H.E.M (Multinational AgencY Hunting Evil Masterminds) which was founded by Persephone Brimstone, a character we met in Gat Out of Hell.
Their goal is to stop the supervillain organisation known as – wait for it – L.E.G.I.O.N. (League of Evil Gentlemen Intent on Obliterating Nations) and the game is set in a near-future version of Seoul, South Korea. With 12 playable characters in all, the game has a lot to offer, even if it gets quite repetitive after a couple of hours. All the characters feel unique, thanks to their different gameplay style, guns and the voice acting, which is excellent throughout.
Gameplay allows you to change your character at any point during proceedings, which lets you exploit their individual skillset to take down your enemies more efficiently. The game looked great from the beginning but after a while the world became quite bland and repetitive which is one of the major downfalls to this game.
I think there could be more to it visually, to enhance the content, but it’s still a fun game that held my attention enough to score a solid three.