“It doesn't matter about the review’s of the single (Snow), we’re just
happy doing what we’re doing”.
So says Mark Greaney (vocalist/guitarist) of new Irish band JJ72 as he waits for
his Chocolate -Wagonwheels to come, before the band play their hometown gig at
Whelans tonight. He sums up his and the rest of JJ72’s truly inspiring
youthful confidence and healthy attitude, which will see them through their
current speedy success. And their cocky style, which will see them ahead in the
talent scales of most other current Irish music makers, who gather in combat
fashioned corners of pubs and cry and whinge into their beer “cause we can’t
get a record deal man!”
JJ72 are not the slightest bit fazed by the current offspring of fantastic
press, which they have received, such as “This time next year you’ll wonder
how you ever lived without them” (N.M.E.), yet they don’t disregard them
either but thankfully they laugh them off as “the good ones make sense, the
bad ones don’t.”
JJ72 were formed when Fergal Mathews (Drums) was attracted to Brian Greaney
(roaring yet angelic singer) in school and asked him to form a band, they then
met up with Hillary Woods at a club where she was ahh, ‘Dancing’ but who
turned out to also play a damn fine bass line. They release their debut album,
at the moment ‘untitled’, in September after they have delivered possibly
two more single. ‘Long Way South’, a more drum machine based, song is out on
May 15th.
According to songwriter Greaney, (who can bloody scream I’ll tell ya, Mr.
Corgan take heed), “it’s not all about breaking the Top 20 in Britain”.
This is a band who tell me they “want to make and sell a lot of records as
opposed to having hit singles, yet of course they ‘wouldn’t mind having a
few hits’”.
And from listening to their truly blistering bunch of songs, in a completely
packed to the rafters Whelan’s in Dublin. The band before the gig who didn’t
“feel up for it” tamed and seemed to win over an audience of fanatic
chatting teens and of course the ever present ‘chin rubbers’ by blasting out
from the intimate Whelan’s stage what was a Smashing Pumpkins look and sound
yet sealed with their own truly original JJ72 style. From tonight’s successful
gig in Whelans, and from speaking to the band before hand, it’s evident that
JJ72 are not just another pop rock band, yet they’re definitely not just
another ‘underground band’ either.
Half way through the gig at Whelans Vocalist Mark Greaney does a solo spot,
where he performs only with guitar in hand but it’s the young Dubliner’s
vocals however, that truly grip you. From screaming out previous choruses from
tonight’s opening smashing single ‘Snow’ to ‘Surrender’ and the great
sounding ‘Long Way South’. ‘Oxygen’, ‘Improv’, and ‘Broken Down’
seem to be well named tracks which start Greany’s lone performance, where he
lets rip on occasion that strained yet melodic voice reminding some of us,
sometimes of the late great Jeff Buckley, whispering and singing through, spacey
atmospheric reverbs.
‘October Swimmer’, ‘Algeria’, and ‘Bumblebee’, are all real rock
whoring workouts, as JJ72 manage to sound just as explosive live as a three
piece, as do ‘God Speed...’ as a nine piece entering sheer noize heaven. OK
maybe it’s the smallness of Whelans, which had something to do with it, but if
you’re expecting JJ72 to be another ‘Travis’, think again. Where Travis
are equal on hooks and cracking indie choruses, JJ72 are miles ahead on rhythm,
power, and a general ‘two fingers up to it all’ attitude.
For a band who formed because of Nirvana and Nevermind, and who like Smashing
Pumpkins because they’re just a brilliant band and who like listening to Joy
Division and Nick Drake; this OBVIOUSLY doesn't reflect the total sound of JJ72.
What makes JJ72 sound so different than the normal Irish band? It’s simple!
You see JJ72 could take a Manic’s song and make a complete balls of it and
they could take one of their own songs and again make a complete balls of it.
And that’s what the difference is between a band that’s worth listening to,
because JJ72 are a separate article from everyone else and no one can step into
their shoes and they don’t step into others shoes. And that’s what makes
this band sound original, as original as any band can sound in this day and age.
What you want to label JJ72 as is up to you! But to label them ‘Ordinary’,
would surely be praising every other Irish band in the country! JJ72 are a band
who are by their own modest admission just “three different people getting up,
playing guitars, turning on amps and singing songs that one of them wrote, and
finding the whole thing a bit bizarre”. And the lyrics are as simple as “Why
won’t it snow?”.
