29/2/2008 JOANovARC & Bubblegum Screw @ 333 Old Street

Subject	JOANovARC & Bubblegum Screw @ 333 Old Street
PostedDate	2/29/2008
	Most of London's shabbiest rock 'n' roll toilets seen to be in the East End rather than Camden these days - Mother @ 333 Old Street isn't one one of the worst, but it is a bit of a dump and doesn't even have a stage.  However, the bar is better than quite a few venues - which isn't saying much to be honest.  The first band I catch are Bubblegum Screw. Unfortunately the sound isn't that great and Mark's vocals are barely audible. This London band do a good job of sounding like they are straight out of 1970's New York, and their new guitarist who at a glance could be mistaken for Dave from Marionette has a good Johnny Thunders style sound with his Les Paul Special copy guitar. There is also a Ramones influence from bass player Zuri, while Mark is almost more Johansen than Johansen, with some Jagger thrown in as well. Just as if the NYC influence isn't blatant enough, they throw in a rather fast cover of  the Dead Boys classic 'Sonic Reducer' for good measure. JOANovARC are on good form as ever and manage to radiate sheer class even in a dump like this. Somehow they manage to get a better sound than the previous band. New rhythm guitarist Luita seems to be fitting in well and filling out the sound nicely - she seems more at ease than at the recent Borderline show. Debbie powers things along in her tightly aggressive style behind the kit while Sam and Shelly play their hearts out at the front. A couple of new songs have been added to the set which bode well for the forthcoming album - hopefully out later this year. I never get tired of seeing this band and they really finish off my Friday night well!