16/3/2011St Jude @ The Borderline

Subject	St Jude @ The Borderline
PostedDate	3/17/2011
	I haven't been to The Borderline much for the last couple of years or so as there didn't seem to be many bands I wanted to see playing there any more.  That seems to be changing as there are currently several shows coming up there that I'm going to see.  It used to be a bit of a pricey venue to visit, but the selection of pints and bottles available at the bar is much improved these days, and the prices lower than many of London's other music venues.  Only £8 for a ticket tonight as well - I'm starting to like this place.  I've been meaning to see St Jude for a while, but this is the first of their gigs I've been able to get to. There seems to be a bit of a buzz surrounding this band at the moment, so I'm interested to see what the fuss is about. Having a listen online the first song I heard 'Soul On Fire' sounded exactly like the Quireboys backing a girl singer. Not that I have a problem with that. The Borderline fills up tonight and it looks like a sold out show. It's a bit of an odd crowd compared to most gigs I go to and I feel a bit out of place. It's seems more like a mostly middle aged pub rock crowd than a rock 'n' roll one.  Rather later than we have been told, the band eventually kick off. At first the Black Crowes seem the main reference point, with more than a passing nod to the Quirboys and Faces - and the Stones of course, without whom those other bands would never have existed. I'm told changes have been afoot within the ranks, and it's a different band from the earlier St Jude - also that this show is far better than their recent one at the Half Moon. Not having seen the band before, I can't make such comparisons but what I see tonight is a solid performance by a band who are not trying to re-invent the wheel. The only constant seems to be singer Lynne Jackaman who belts it out in a bluesy style obviously influenced by Janis Joplin. This is one of the least original bands I have seen in a long time, but they do have a good retro sound - which seems to be appreciated by the mostly middle aged audience. I haven't seen Telecasters blazing away in such style in this venue since the night I saw Ban Baird's Homemade Sin and The Quireboys (yes them again) on the same bill in this same venue a year or so ago. Interestingly, ex-Quireboy Guy Bailey is in the crowd tonight. The set consists largely of rockers, with a few ballads thrown in - plus a Faces cover. It all goes down a storm with the crowd. This band have been building up a bit of a following, with sold out shows at the Half Moon and 100 Club recently as well as here - it will be interesting to see if they can break out of the 40's/50's age group supported pub rock scene and appeal to a wider audience? Their forthcoming appearance at the High Voltage can only help them climb the next step up, but then again it's audience is largely the same as their current mostly middle aged crowd anyway...