I quite enjoyed this gig. I was out by myself but managed to bump into a bunch of lovely people from the Hong Kong Gardeners' Club and new DJs with old Native.tv shipmates Express FM. Also my sister made me a cup of tea beforehand. Decent evening. Juju? Superb.
Previously published on mintsouth.com in May 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
LITTLE FISH + LOLO @ LITTLE JOHNNY RUSSELL'S 30/04/2009
Tonight is one of the warm up events for Southsea Fest. We’re a band down tonight as Fresh Legs were sadly forced to pull out over illness. Little Johnny Russell’s is still chocka with music lovers, and Little Fish are about to unleash their power on the unsuspecting South.
The opening act is LoLo, aka petite singer Lora Kirk on guitar with another band member lurking on the floor out of sight. Lora has a gentle, haunting voice which weaves its magic over the noisy crowd. Looking everywhere around the venue but at her audience, the acoustic pixie plays pleasant laidback music.
Unfortunately the full effect is lost as the tracks are delicate and not ideally suited to a pub crowd, and LoLo don’t look entirely at home in their surroundings. The songs are charming but the tempo is the same and the tunes blend into one, although it is still thoughtful and sweet to listen to.
Oxford rockers Little Fish headlined the event. They recently signed to Custard/Universal, and there are already people in the crowd tonight who have seen them several times and are very much looking forward to this performance.
Vocalist Juju gleefully fixes various crowd members with a wild-eyed stare and asks plenty of questions about the local area, wondering what the traditional Pompey greeting for ‘Hello and thanks’ is, and how one gets about offshore. “What happens if you want to put a piano on your boat?” she muses at one point, prompting the answer “You don’t.”
Little Fish have a more classic punk rock sound with drums and guitar only; reminding me slightly of The Kills but with elements of the Rolling Stones to their loops and hooks. Juju is a fantastic frontwoman with a pure rock voice, occasionally launching into a fiendish scream. She’s very animated, energetic and grinning. No offence to drummer Nez who is doing a sterling job, but it’s all about Juju and all eyes are focusing on her kohl-rimmed ones.
Little Fish won’t be playing small venues for long – this isn’t speculation, it’s definitely the case as they will soon be warming up the crowds for Placebo. They might be called Little Fish, but they’re bigger than they make out.
http://www.myspace.com/littlefishmusic
http://www.myspace.com/lolosouthsea
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