Every now and then you get a CD pop through that is a little diamond waiting to be polished.
Hang on, no that’s not right. If you polished Sweet Jonny you would loose it’s beauty. Describing themselves as “A gutter garage rock band – fervent, desperate and violently energetic.”
This EP has 4 tracks of scuzzy Punk Rock. There is attitude aplenty and it oozes rock energy. To add to this lo-fi approach the EP plopped through the letterbox in a rough and ready home-brew fashion (I got a green one!), which seems to sum up these guys. They just want to produce and play their music, and this makes it brilliant.
From Kyle’s driving Bass and Jonny’s drumming (is he Sweet?) providing a backdrop for Toms vocal which has that kind of Punk slur edge on the opening track “The Cliche”. This lays down the foundations for the rest of the EP. Bursting with a more rock ‘n’ roll rhythm “Soft” mixes in more of that Punk attitude. I can’t help but feel a bit of the Sex Pistols happening here.
The last two tracks slow up proceedings, both having the feeling of disillusionment, both for different reasons. “Dead Famous”; despite feeling laid back, has an upbeat tempo. I found my foot tapping away without realising it. “Twenty Years” reflects their general distaste and disillusionment with the current music scene (yeah I nabbed that bit from their FaceBook page). But it does, with the slightly distorted vocals when pushed, the stating reflect the need to escape.
Now I do not know what JSA stands for, but I know it was a fictitious company name in an infamous Horror movie. But that’s just me…What we have here sounds like the makings of a great Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll band. But throw in a hefty dollop of scuzz and attitude, and you end up with a lo-fi distorted sound and a bassline that has your feet tapping. There is something distinctly old school about these guys – no doubt some classic influences going on here. It’s not just the sound, not just the songs. I think it is the whole package.
With their DIY approach this EP contains a brutal honesty and I love it.
The [handmade] physical copy is limited to 200, and I was lucky to grab #120 – so hurry! You can get them from “http://sweetjonny.bigcartel.com/’ target=”_new”>here for a might £3. Or check them out on Bandcamp.
Line Up
Tom Backshall, Vocals/ Guitar
Jonny Pinder, Drums
Kyle Wakeford, Bass/ Backing Vocals
Ash Turquand, Lead Guitar
Track Listing
The Cliche
Soft
Dead Famous
Twenty Years
Links
https://www.facebook.com/sweeetjonny
http://sweetjonny.bigcartel.com/
http://soundcloud.com/sweetjonny
https://sweetjonny.bandcamp.com
Words by Jon(ny).
