Joanna Gruesome, Power Lunches, London, 10th January 2015: Live Review

First gig of the year, and what a way to kick off 2015. This was my first time at Powerlunches Art's Cafe, the DIY centrepiece of London. A cafe during the day upstairs, with a rehearsal space downstairs. This changes at night when upstairs becomes a bar serving a few drinks and downstairs becomes the venue, where I saw Joanna Gruesome, one of my favourite bands. I think its an understatement to say I was excited.

First up onstage was Grubs, a three piece, featuring Owen of Joanna Gruesome. A mix of soft melodies mixed in with upbeat guitar lines is a great mix for the indie pop trio that shows promise for the album that is currently being mastered. I eagerly look forward to hearing more from Grubs.

Next to the stage, was Edinburgh based band The Spook School. This was a real surprise for me as they are a different beast live. Energetic, loud and raucous and undeniably funny. The jokes swapped between the band and most notably the drummer was hilarious, bordering on the obscure. The music was the real gem though, with songs such as 'Kissy Kissy' and 'Binary' being particularly memorable, i really loved this band and I would recommend you all to go check them out.

Unfortunately, to the audience's disappointment Jesse Withers had to pull out. Of course, this was a joke and there was never a Jesse Withers, with Martha turning out to be the secret guests. Another great band and although I hadn't heard of them before, it appears the audience knew them well singing back the lyrics and dancing around to their indie pop rhythms. Martha were another band that were amazing to see live, and once again check them out!

Joanna Gruesome took to the stage at around 11pm, quite a bit later than originally thought but, it was fine as most of the crowd were in high spirits. I have never been able to see the band before, and being able to see them in the indescribable heat of Powerlunches was a delight. They launched into a new song which sounded fantastic, as did the other new tracks that were played. The new tracks featured much heavier breakdowns as well as popper melodies. One track in particular was a short blast of punk guitars and an bordering on metal guitar solo. The older songs were greeted like old friends, Secret Surprise was a riot, and Wussy Void stood out to me in particular as a highlight, much heavier than its albums counterpart, the band put so much energy into their performance, it was truly something to admire. The last track's played were Madison and Psykick Espionage, both furious takes on their originals, and ending a sweaty night with a perfect line up.

9/10

Setlist:
Last Year [New Song]
Secret Surprise
Hey I Wanna Be Your Best Friend [New Song]
Graveyard
Jerome (Liar)
Wussy Void
Honestly Do Yr Worst [New Song]
But I Don't Wanna Relax [New Song]
Anti-Parent Cowboy Killers
Jamie [New Song]
Madison
Psykick Espionage