29/5/2006 JOANovARC & Shush @ Oh! Bar

Subject	JOANovARC & Shush @ Oh! Bar
PostedDate	5/29/2006 1:49:00 PM
	Another Bank Holiday, another MMMfest at the Oh! Bar in Camden. There were six or seven bands on the bill and fortunately the attendance was rather better than the one a few weeks ago. Messiah were a late change to the bill (replacing Mad Dogs 'N' Glory who pulled out of the event) and went on first. Unfortunately I didn't arrive in time to see them - I'm told they were good though, in a classic rock/retro style so maybe I should try and catch them sometime. Next were a female fronted band called Dripfeed ( I think). They played well enough but lacked charisma and didn't really get my attention - I guess they are a new band and in need of more gigging experience. Shush were one of the main bands I'd been looking forward to, and they certainly didn't disappoint! Milena and Marina from AntiProduct's side band was boosted by ex-AntiProduct drummer Simon 'Gonk' filling in on drums for this show - it was great to see him play again and he really added power and dynamics to the band's set. It was the third time I'd seen Shush, and each time was better than the last! This time Milena was joined by another guitarist to give what should be the full amount of members in the band - then with the mighty Gonk thundering away behind the kit as well this was the hardest hitting (in more ways than one) Shush performance I've seen yet.  Starchamber were next. They looked a bit 'indie' but sounded a bit harder than they looked, although not that much. They seemed to have some half decent songs though, and they set seemed to get more rocking as they went on so I found them getting my attention more than the previous band. Narkan were next up - a name that rang a bill, but this was certainly the first time I've seen them play. They looked an odd mixture, but their sound was pure NWOBHM. The singer was a Paul Di'Anno style screamer - haven't heard one of those in quite a while, but he was certainly a lot better than the so called singers in a lot of the bands I've seen recently. In fact, the band's sound was so much of a cliche that I actually wondered if they were taking the piss at first! I found it hard to keep a straight face at times, but in fact they were pretty good at what they do, with some decent songs and I certainly found them entertaining. The penultimate band were the other one I'd really come to see - the consistantly great JOANovARC - these three girls have never failed to impress me. Strong songs and an amazing standard of musicianship always make for a terrific performance from this lot. They drew one of the biggest crowds of the day, and deservingly so. They have followers of their own, and are also very good at impressing and winning over new fans with each show they play - and they certainly did this again with this performance. Last band were King Lizard. Decent enough musicians, and they make an effort to put on a good show. Unfortunately, they look and sound exactly the same as a hundred other bands playing in Camden at the moment who want to be Guns 'N' Roses. The thing is, nearly all these bands are missing one important point; G'N'R were great not just because of their image and ability as musicians - Guns 'N'Roses had great songs. If only these bands worked as hard on their songwriting as they obviously work on their image and (in some cases) technical virtuosity... A good day out and some interesting new bands checked out - good value for money in my book at around a pound per band although one or two people moaned about paying £7 to get in. Personally, I'd have paid that to see Shush or JOANovARC on their own.

PS: The Oh! Bar in Camden is now The Blues Kitchen.