‘We’re supporting Liam – but I’m no hellraiser’

HE’S the notorious hellraiser whose name is synonymous with rock ’n’ roll hedonism.

But when Liam Gallagher rocks up at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff tonight, he will be supported by a Welsh band with a very different story.

Trampolene, who were handpicked by the former Oasis singer for his December tour, are fronted by the enigmatic livewire Jack Jones.

And, for a band living the rock ’n’ roll dream, Jack’s life is a world away from the rock star existence – because he suffers from Crohn’s Disease.

After being diagnosed with the disease aged 18, the 25-year-old not only cannot drink alcohol but has an incredibly limited diet.

“Basically all I can have is rice, white bread, vitamin supplements and that’s it – and sometimes I can eat eggs like scrambled egg but not fried egg,” he said.

As somebody who has also toured as a member of Pete Doherty’s backing band – another musician renowned for living life to excess – Jack has to follow a strict regime.

“Some people see me perform and think I’m off my head, but I’m completely not,” he laughed. “I don’t drink and people think you’re a bit weird, especially when you’re in a band. But I have to do it.”

He added: “That’s not to say I’m not very tempted from time to time. It’s difficult to be a monk when everybody else is a lunatic.”

Jack is also a rarity in another striking sense – after doctors attempted to diagnose what was wrong with him when he was suffering with severe stomach pains in his late teens they discovered he had a condition called situs inversus.

This is a rare congenital condition, which affects around 1 in 10,000 people, in which an individual’s internal organs are positioned on the opposite side to where they should be. The liver, for instance, is on the left, the spleen on the right.

“I had no idea and it was only discovered when I was having tests in an attempt to discover what was wrong,” he said. “However, while people with situs inversus have their heart beating on the right, my heart still beats on the left, so I’m even more of an anomaly.”

When you factor in that Jack’s Crohn’s means that he has to have monthly transfusions that are vital to keep his condition in check and that he suffers from crushing insomnia, you can see how important music is to him as a release from his daily burden.

“When I’m on stage it’s my escapism,” he said. “I’m full of this mad emotion. I don’t ever feel the pain of Crohn’s when I’m on stage.

“Nothing else matters, I can scream and run and push and sweat the anger and frustration out. The more I exert, the more I can let go of myself and I feel like everything’s OK.”

This week Trampolene started their run of arena shows with Gallagher. The frontman said Liam had sent a text out of the blue inviting them to support him.

“I can remember just texting back saying ‘yes yes yes yes yes yes,’” Jack added. “I think the list of yesses was as long as my arm.

“He’s like a big brother in a way – you just look up to him.”

After tonight’s Cardiff’s date, the band will go on to support Gallagher in Brighton on Friday and in Manchester on Saturday