The Jesus Bolt - The Kid Got Electric (2021)

Northerners living in Bristol, both ex-Blue Aeroplanes guitarists. Former frontman with Witness, Gerard Starkie and co-pilot with Flux Capacitors, Hazel Winter are the Jesus Bolt. After some interesting EP’s comes a bewildering album. Ged Babey tries to be objective about the crazy-cat-lady and her trophy-toy-boy who happen to be two very fine songwriters indeed.

Forget what I said in that bar / I think I must’ve gone too far / but the cat got the cream / and the kid got an electric guitar.

This is a hard album to describe…. Genre-fluid (Alternative blues, skiffle-folk, bohemian art-pop …?) It’s a difficult album, which takes a few listens. Great songs but some tough subject matter and odd detours…

Hazel and Gerard are a couple as well as a musical unit. They haven’t been together for that long – despite having known each other for some time. They were both guitarists in Blue Aeroplanes at one time or other. They live together, make music both together and separately. Despite having a now full-grown cat still-called The Kitten of Love, this isn’t a lovey-dovey relationship album. It’s more the couple telling each other stories about their pasts and jamming until they become fully fledged songs. I wandered through, the collected memories of you ….sings Starkie at one point.