Joanna Newsom is a famous harpist & songwriter. Joanna Gruesome is a band from Cardiff. No relation.
The exact point at which I stopped reading pitchfork regularly is unclear. I do visit it from time to time but mostly when I’ve googled a band name and see that they’ve been reviewed. It was in such a case that I saw the write-up of the Welsh band Joanna Gruesome.
The lead up to the google involved listening to the band. The step before that involved reading an interview with Blood Indians in TYCI who namechecked them and it rang a bell. Previously hearing the name I most likely dismissed it as another Glasgow art-school band with a clever name and not much else.
Forming sentences that don’t bore me is today’s subplot. Try not to notice.
Yesterday the holy hand grenade of joy that is Football, etc was lobbed in the direction of my friend Douglas. “It’s reminiscent of rebuild the pier” he declared. Having already told him they sounded like Stapleton with female vocals, I have no idea how on earth he came to such a conclusion. Today’s discovery that Joanna Gruesome is in fact worth streaming for free online, pleased my ears.
The Welsh fuzz-poppers debut LP, Weird Sister is rather splendid. Listen to one of their tracks below.
Instant familiarity can go either way, leaning in the direction of die! die! die! and the made-up genre that is riot-pop! into the open arms of critical thinking music reviewers everywhere. A genuine sense of fun and mischief trailblazes across the frequencies. What’s not to like?
Joanna Gruesome play Broadcast Glasgow on February 15th.
