LIVE REVIEW: Jesus Jones, EMF, Bis, Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow, 09/10/2025
Photo Credit: Martin Smith (19th October 2025 – Bristol)
We couldn’t have asked for a better trio of bands as we head back to the heyday of the 1990s for Jesus Jones, EMF and Bis. Ah who remembers those days innocent days that were pre-internet, no mobile phones and a Thatcher government … ok that last part wasn’t so good for most of us Scots so lets move on to the music!
With the balcony shut off, it was ‘downstairs only’ tonight as it was for Glasgow band Mickey 9s at the weekend in the same venue, we’re not complaining though it only adds to the atmosphere. Glasgow locals Bis were formed back in 1994 and have come and gone a few times since then and are currently on a 30th anniversary comeback with keyboard player and co-vocalist Amanda MacKinnon commenting early in the set how privileged the band feel to be sharing a stage with the two legendary 90s band’s that are Jesus Jones and EMF tonight. She even tells us the story about when she saw EMF perform at Glasgow’s own Barrowland Ballroom as an under ager! Amanda is joined by Steven and John Clark on guitar and bass and they play without a drummer, it doesn’t really make much difference though as there is nothing but positive energy coming from the stage that is appreciated by the home crowd especially during tracks such as Candy Pop, Heartbeat and Euro Disco. Bis have always been known for their high-energy shows and tonight is no different as they play a unique blend of synth-pop and punk, this performance certainly energised the crowd for what was to come. 8/10
The QMU is now filled up nicely and the only guesswork now was who was going to appear on the stage first, EMF or Jesus Jones? They have been swapping over constantly during the recent USA tour where both bands remain hugely popular, in fact EMF scored a billboard number one song with Unbelievable back in the day. As a huge roar goes up EMF take to the stage led by the charismatic frontman James Atkin and they immediately jump into one of new tracks The Day The Music Died from the 2024 album The Beauty and the Chaos. That maybe isn’t one of their best known tracks but the next two are for sure – I Believe and Lies being the songs – the first mentioned has always been a personal favourite since way back in the day and does the job of getting the crowd bouncing along excitedly. The keyboard led intro takes us back to the days when the ‘baggy scene’ movement was massive in the UK when bands such as The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays were hugely popular (they still are of course), a flashback crosses our mind of when we even owned a pair of baggy jeans!
By far the most popular EMF album was the 1991 release Schubert Dip from which we get to hear six tracks, the others being Children, Long Summer Days, Unbelievable and the final song of the set EMF. For anyone wondering what EMF even means it is officially said to stand for Epsom Mad Funkers, there are other suggestions what we won’t go into here, James Atkin performs an age defying set tonight and his t-shirt slogan “Life ruined my drugs” always makes us laugh. At this point we should say that this is my first time seeing all three bands tonight and it feels great to finally tick them all off the ‘music bucket list’ that is kept in our head. Reach For The Lasers is interspersed with a montage of 80s tracks including Pump Up The Jam and the timeless New Order song Blue Monday while LGBTQ+ is a new song that goes down well with the knowledgeable crowd and has an easy to learn chorus that is sang back to the stage. The only question now is can Jesus Jones live up to what we have just witnessed from EMF? 10/10
Mike Edwards takes to the stage and he is the definition of coolness throughout the set, the same can’t be said of keyboard player Iain Baker though … he is so animated from start to finish and is almost hanging off the stage at times while still playing the keyboard, it definitely helps to keep the crowd fired up! Opening tracks Move Mountains and Zeroes and Ones are a taster of what is to come, the massive hit International Bright Young Thing takes it up a level as does Right Here, Right Now. The fourteen-track set is filled with all the above-mentioned anthems from back in the day with most songs taken from the Doubt and Liquidizer albums. As we move towards the end of the set Real, Real, Real and Who? Where? Why? get the best reaction from the crowd while last track Info Freako ends a fabulous night of music that ticks every required box for this writer.
So who came out on top between EMF and Jesus Jones? As we were big fans of EMF back in the day we have to side with them on this occasion. With Glasgow being the first date of the UK tour we have hopefully set a precedent for the other UK shows to follow. 9/10
Written by: Alan Brown
