22/9/2006 JOANovARC @ the Hope & Anchor

Subject	JOANovARC @ the Hope & Anchor
PostedDate	9/22/2006
	Another trip to one of London's best known pub venues, this time to see the amazing JOANovARC who continue to establish themselves as one of the best upcoming rock acts on the live circuit. These girls absolutely thrive on playing to a full venue and are always out to impress by knocking 'em dead with a red hot performance. Tonight is one of those shows you know is going to be great long before the band take to the stage. The venue is pretty full, the band have loads of friends there, and apparently a lot of industry people too - there is a real buzz in the air. The Cut were supposed to be the headline band, but they end up going on before JOANovARC. I thought The Cut were pretty good - not the sort of band I'd normally go and see, but it's nice to discover good new bands playing on bills with acts you already know. They are a tight three piece and play sharp guitar led indie/pop/rock - a name to watch I think. This was certainly one of the better JOANovArc shows that I've seen - they always seem to pull something special out of the bag when needed. That said, even an average JoA show is better than many better known band's very best. As usual, the band rise to the occasion - this is a group who really feed off the crowd and their reaction, and this is a band who always get a great crowd reaction. Many bands seem only able to do this when playing to a familiar crowd who already know them well, but JOANovARC can do this even when playing to an audience who largely don't know who they are. This is due to not only having excellent songs, and having a very high standard of musicianship, but also due to the sheer passion and fire with which they play - you can tell these girls absolutely live for the moment they are on that stage playing their music. This isn't an act - this is real. I never seem to get tired of seeing this band, as they are constantly evolving their set and adding new songs while their performances are always captivating.