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< Johnny Foreigner at Proud Galleries
words by Dean Driscoll
pics by
"Come on, this is one of the last gigs at the Proud Galleries!" So went an inauspicious start for Johnny Foreigner's performance at the soon-to-be-closed venue in Camden's Stables Market. Whilst Camden council's plans turn Stables Market into some godforsaken shopping bland-o-dome is a disgrace (and I encourage all those who care about London to oppose any such plans before the whole city ends up looking like Watford fucking Parade - isn't it a council's job just to keep the place tidy, not milk the destruction of cultural landmarks for cash), I somehow think Johnny Foreigner might agree that - nice bar though it is - Proud actually sucks as a gig venue: too bright, awful sound, and - as this young Birmingham trio found out tonight - too bloody difficult to get a room going when everyone's out on the terrace, chaining Marlborough Lights and getting lashed. Despite these myriad obstacles that have befallen the great many bands who've performed at Proud before them, Johnny Foreigner are just too young and spunky to let them get in the way of some proper rock. And so, with a refreshingly unfashionable look, and a refreshingly unfashionable appetite for rock, Johnny Foreigner obligingly tear into a set of yelpy pop-punk that had smatterings of 'Kung Fu'-era Ash about it. Sharing similar ground musically with fellow Brummies Distophia, Johnny Foreigner are right now a very raw proposition: the shoutiness may be too much for some but listen closely and it's clear the knack of writing a catchy tune is very much present and correct.
Standout track 'Our Bipolar Friends' sums them up best: duelling male/female vocals and genuine musical talent, not least from the excellent multitasking drummer/keyboardist, Junior. By no means the finished article, but one hell of a lot of shouty promise.
Originally appeared in volume 1, issue 26 of Loud & Quiet magazine
