Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong @ the Borderline

Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong at The Borderline Review

0/5
Bands: Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong
Venue: The Borderline
Gig: Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
Gig date: 10th May 2007
Posted on 1st June 2007 by robserious

Four months and eight shows on from Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong's excellent debut and things are progressing nicely. The Borderline is crammed full of industry types and indie scamps in equal measure. A poor girl on the door struggles with a messy guestlist several pages long. Zane Lowe radio play, coupled with the band's decision to finally put some tunes on their own website, have led to a buzz developing. JL&TJJJ have all the ingredients for some level of success. The question is how far will they go? It's hard to identify a weakness in tonight's performance. After my fawning first review I feel duty bound to nitpick – but it isn't easy. Charismatic singer Joe may not be everybody's cup of tea – but good frontmen need a bit of front. He creeps on stage in a trenchcoat looking like a cross between a Victorian chimney sweep and Mickey Pearce from Only Fools and Horses. His jerky, theatrical gestures – think Truly Scrumptious acting the mechanical doll in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – are perhaps a little flamboyant for such out-and-out indie music. But between songs his banter with the crowd and polite requests for a bit more guitar in the monitors suggest he's not all cocksure confidence and swagger. A bit of humility goes a long way in getting the crowd on his side. And he's good, so if he wants to ape around a bit then he can.    There's no doubt that this is an image conscious band. They all look styled to within an inch of their lives – but it is the music that makes them so interesting. I hadn't realised before last night what a phenomenally good drummer they have. At one point he was putting so much effort in that he near enough collapsed on his kit as the song ended. In fact, all four musicians in the band are rigidly tight; almost unnervingly so. You sense that the reason they took so long to start gigging was because they had locked themselves in a room to rehearse endlessly until everything was up to scratch. Songs like 'Baby', 'Lonely Buoy', 'In Competition', and 'Where Do You Go?' are so immaculately performed that one can't help but wonder if Joe has taken the Julian Casablancas school of perfectionism to a new level. Does he stand over them with a whip in rehearsals? This was my third look at JL&TJJJ and I'm surer than ever that they'll do a decent bit of business. But whatever happens, go and see them now while they are still rattling out this crisp, polished set of cleverly-constructed indie pop. Courtesy of Chris Lines

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