Bristol Rough Trade , 18th January 2020
We were promised an evening of Joy, but what we got was so much more…
To say Joy exceeded themselves in putting on a superb event at Bristol Rough Trade this past Saturday would be an understatement.
A capacity crowd descended on the Nelson street venue for the launch night of Joy’s new single “Plastic Waste”. And left dancing and singing into the night, having been thoroughly entertained for the past four plus hours.
The atmosphere at the event had the feel of being in the company of friends. A very relaxed vibe with some of Bristol’s most talented up and coming bands. And credit for this goes to both Joy for their organisation. And to the acts that shared the stage with them.
Gyno were first up. And this band exude fun. In lead vocalist Tara they have someone who’s expressiveness on stage make them very watchable.
A dash of anarchist punk, splashed with a touch of pop make Gyno up tempo enough for harder elements of the crowd. Whilst vocally clear enough for all fans of live music.
The set was short, sweet and punchy. And despite a recent rest bite from performing there was very little ring rust on show.
Grandmas House are building themselves a solid reputation across the city with their surfy, post punk sound.
Arriving on stage in their usual understated way, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in for a chilled out performance, but as soon as the first vocal hits, the drums smashed and Poppy takes her turn with the backing howls you quickly realise chilled is very long gone.
GH are consistent, well drilled and a solid band. With a growing back catalogue of tracks. “Devils advocate” is still one of our fav tunes from 2019 and hearing it live is always a pleasure. And there is no shortage of opportunity to do so as Grandmas House are also one of the city’s hardest working bands. You’ll be able to catch them live again this coming weekend at The Exchange.
Main support from the evening was provided by Bristol based post punk rebels Beefywink.
We had heard of Beefywink through reputation of their “leave nothing in the dressing room” live performances alone, but this was our first time witnessing the explosion of energy for ourselves.
Its safe to say it wont be the last time we catch them live…. what a performance!!!
We have never been so happy to feel like we’d been punched in the face and slapped around the side of the head.
Beefywink brought an instant explosion of sound and energy from the get go that charged the packed room with an electricity usually reserved for seasoned punk bands.
These guys are the real deal and have a very big future ahead of them. When you take into consideration that this was the first show with the new line up, it was a stellar performance. To get so tight so quickly is testament to the level that this band can achieve.
All four are stand out performers in their own right. Luke plays the drums like a man possessed and his expressiveness is priceless. AZ is charged to the max, Daizy brings the sass and K Rush works the crowd like a main event wrestler for WWE
There is a album and tour in the offing for 2020 that will surely elevate these guys to the next level.
The reason we’d all gathered into Rough Trade on this bitterly cold, January evening was to expel those winter blues and garner some Joy back into our lives.
It can be quite hard to pin down the sound of this band. Indeed, if you were to try and attempt to bottle some joy, you’d need a large vessel. It would have to contain some post punk, 90’s grunge with blends of Sonic Youth and no shortage of New Wave Vibes.
A band of contradiction. They will not dress how you expect, they will not conform to a sound you’d expect and they will not perform how you’d expect.
This makes them an altogether fascinating four piece to watch live. As they transport you through a very varied landscape.
One moment you could be sitting melancholy in a Seattle coffee house in 1991. The next moment road trippin to Cornwall to sounds reminiscent of Feeder in 1996.
This retro, enjoyable journey the band take you on is worth any entrance fee. As they have delivered each time I have seen them play live. And no two performances are the same.
A band that isn’t afraid to experiment in a world of cookie cutter music really is a JOY to behold.
A strong new single, coupled with the promise of more new music to come from a now settled line up heralds a year of promise from Toby, George, Louis and Lucas.
