Joanna Gruesome w/ Playlounge
Shacklewell Arms
16th September
Gathered in spirit of Cardiff quintet Joanna Gruesome, their Fortuna Pop!/Slumberland debut Weird Sister is now ripe and ready for the picking, they’re joined tonight by friends Playlounge to celebrate.
Brothers in noise Playlounge kick it off tonight at the Shacklewell with a raucous punk stampede. For just a two piece, these guys make a hell of a noise, Sam annihilates the drums, playing with such zest I don’t know how he manages to keep his mouth next to the microphone, let alone sing his lines. Paired with some nifty chords stemming from guitarist Laurie’s fingertips, Playlounge remind me of lo-fi clan Paws. The combination of quick, tight drums, choppy riffs and that reigned in softly-scream all chime together dead nice.
Despite announcing the cancellation of their September tour only a couple of days before this gig due to lead singer and front woman Alanna having her appendix removed, the Cardiff Collective show now fear this evening. With 3 on the stage and 2 in the crowd it’s clear they’re right at home here in the Shack. As with their debut, Joanna Gruesome keep their set short, sweet and noisey, rattling through their fuzzy crowd pleasers one after another. Highlights come in the form of ‘Secret Surprise’ and closer ‘Sugar Crush’ brings the house down, taking off into pure thrash territory to close. They’re not just a one trick punk pony though, end track on Weird Sister, ‘Satan’ builds to a cool climax mid-set, with a soft boy/girl vocal soaring subtly over the fuzzed out guitars. How exactly one “soars subtly” I’m not sure, but Joanna Gruesome are. Their sound is both refreshing while retrospective. These guys take influence from all kinds of places, from the token MBV reference to a bit of Velvet Underground swagger, Converge, I can hear Veronica Falls in those harmonies too, but if you want to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, check out our interview with Owen, the guitarist and primary song-smith in the band.
All the songs Joanna Gruesome reel off tonight sound totally on par with their debut record. The rough round the edges production adopted for their album resonates through the live set alike. Ticking all the right boxes, these guys make honest, energetic music delivered behind three of our favourite things; pummelling drums, fuzzed out fenders and sweet vocals. Set to tour with Los Campesinos in December and with a re-scheduled Weird Sister tour lined up for early 2014, be sure to catch them live when they roll into town.
Dave Palmer