Monday 11th May 2009 @ Louisiana, Bristol
With Support From: Oxygen Thief, Tubelord

There is a prophesy written in the stars above Bristol that if the local celebrity that is Big Jeff graces a musical event with his presence, it will be a good gig. Sure enough, his Jeff-ness is at the front of the stage at Louisiana for all acts performing tonight.

First up is local chap Oxygen Thief aka Barry Dolan who describes himself as ‘one man acoustic loudness’. Oxygen Thief hits the strings of his acoustic so hard if that guitar was a child it would be placed into care. A very good performance but just one criticism – it was a bit short! I would have liked to have heard more as would the majority of the crowd.

Next up is the increasingly popular Tubelord. If you like your indie-rock/math-pop and you’ve not already checked out this London threesome then quite simply do. Tubelord’s entire set was entertaining and quite frankly, very good. This is probably why their fan base is expanding like a skinny-jeaned, plaid-shirted amoeba. To pull on a particular highlight of Tubelord’s performance would have to be when front man and guitarist Joseph Prendergast jumped off stage mid-song, set up his mic amongst the crowd, put on a pig mask and continued to play and sing the remainder of the song. Impossible to not be entertained!

Up step the headliners, Johnny Foreigner. The band plough through the songs off the debut album Waited Up Til It Was Light while throwing a few from their 2007 EP in for good measure. The singles Salt, Peppa And Spinderella, Our Bipolar Friends and Eyes Wide Terrified get the front singing along and dancing like it was their last night on Earth. Tubelord’s Joseph joined Johnny Foreigner on stage playing along with the band. One second he’s stood next to me appreciating the music, next minute he’s transported himself on stage with guitar giving it his all!

Front man Alexei Berrow seduced the crowd with his floppy fringe and witty commentary. He likens Hull (last night’s show) as ‘possibly the worst place on earth…the other side of the wardrobe.’ I’ve been to the Hull, as a city it’s not that pretty. To put into a context that those who’ve not visited Hull, it’s as attractive as Wayne Rooney, were Wayne battered with the ugly stick, then set alight. The Hull-battering went down well with the crowd, we know Bristol’s awesome but we still like to hear it all the same.

Everything about Johnny Foreigner is interesting; the aesthetic, the music, the lyrics…I would actually watch this performance live even if it were on mute. You would be hard-pressed to find a review of Johnny Foreigner that isn’t full of praise; this review is not the exception to the rule.

www.johnnyforeignermusic.com

Fay Harley