Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

It says a lot about Joan Jett’s standing that she was one of four singers invited to play with Nirvana on their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year; relative to the other three performers, it was obvious which role she was filling. Lorde’s selection spoke to the band’s pop sensibilities, St. Vincent’s to their eccentricity and creative potency. Kim Gordon, having toured with Nirvana many a time in the early nineties, was the alternative icon amongst the four, but Joan Jett? She was the good, old-fashioned, no-strings-attached rock icon; that’s how the music world views her these days. She’s showing no signs of slowing down, either, continuing to tour with the Blackhearts as her backing band. She plays as mean a guitar as ever, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of her sheer endurance is that her voice, if anything, sounds better than it ever did; more than you can say for many of her contemporaries. Set-wise, the classics are all present and correct - ‘Cherry Bomb’, ‘Bad Reputation’ and ‘I Love Rock and Roll’ included - and a hefty selection of covers are currently making the cut, too, from the obscure - their current closing number is a take on Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘Everyday People’ - to the possibly ill-advised - Gary Glitter’s ‘Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)’.