It's been a complaint of this writer's that he's not been hearing any women with real attitude in Rock for too long now. There's a time and place for dreamy, ethereal chanteuses, of course, but if your youth has been sound-tracked by Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde and Patti Smith, you begin to think Bjork has a lot to answer for after a while.
Thus, the arrival of Oxford duo LITTLE FISH can only be a good thing. They are here to suffer a baptism of fire tonight, opening for the legendary BLONDIE (lead of course, by platinum goddess Debbie Harry herself) but it's still an opportunity to shine, should they have the guts to seize the day and turn a few heads into the process.
Judging by the fiery half hour they turn in tonight, Little Fish have all the reserves of guts, gall and courage required to stay afloat and swim in this shark-infested business. They slink on-stage in the cavernous Cork Marquee (an actual circus Big Top and bloody enormous at that) and very quickly make it plain that they ain't gonna accept the support group's usual 'bored indifference' response without a fight.
Much of the credit for this must be laid at singer Julia 'JuJu' Sophie's door. Tiny of frame and partially obscured by an over-sized peak cap she may be when she appears, but when she steps up to the mic, tips her head back and simply growls the hairs stand up on the back of this jaded hack's neck.
When allied to the band's primeval raunch, the effect is spellbinding. Their whole set finds them filling the spaces and working the corners the way only great bands do. JuJu's flailing guitar meshes wonderfully with Neil 'Nez' Greenway's thunderous, but disciplined drum clatter, while the addition of third member,'ghost Hammond player' Ben is an excellent idea, as his stabs of Seeds-style organ add a whole new freshness and vitality to the band's sonic arsenal.
|
Unfamiliarity with some of the material proves a slight disadvantage, though 'Darling Dear' certainly stars, coming on like the Velvets' 'Heroin' and catching itself between lust and lunacy before rushing on its' run. Even without the brain-smearing Polanski-style psychosis of the promo video, recent single 'Am I Crazy?' sounds savagely feral and there are also a couple of beefy, Bo Diddley-ish rumbles and a storming slice of 'Nuggets'-style garage pop served up to sign off with. By the time this latter has wound down they're gone, but by no means forgotten. We can only hope they return to these shores when their much-delayed début LP 'Baffled & Beaten' finally appears on the horizon this autumn.
Little Fish's rise through the ranks seems assured. Juju may maniacally repeat “I didn't plan to fall in love with you” during 'Am I Crazy?', but if they keep playing with this much style and panache, she'll have to get used to being on the receiving end of serious amounts of affection. They'll not be bottom of even discerning bills like this for much longer.
Little Fish on Myspace
|
