Song, by Toad

Things have been a bit quiet here for the last couple of days because of a rather drunken stagger through the gigs of Edinburgh.  I whinge about this place, but there’s some excellent stuff happening here in the next couple of months, with this weekend just the start.

As most of you know, Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong are something of an uber-buzz band at the moment, with everyone and their dog tipping them to make the big time with a bang this year.  I was actually sent a demo copy of some of their stuff and I have to say I didn’t think it was bad.  The next big thing though?  Well how would I know, but I wasn’t convinced, honestly.

So why did I go and see them? Well why not.  Gigs can be a bit thin on the ground around here, people reckon they’re great live and you never know – groups can sound drastically different on stage compared to on record.  I thought it might be worth it, as much out of interest as anything else.

And you know what – they were pretty good.  Joe Lean himself is a consummate skinny little rock ‘n’ roll frontman with plenty of onstage charisma.  The songs, despite not playing my favourite, Sleazy Hughes, were all excellent and the crowd were bloody nuts for them.  So I’ve definitely revised my opinion upwards, but to say I was blown away would be an overstatement.

Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong – Sleazy Hughes
Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong – I Ain’t Sure

website | hype | buy the single

Morning you ‘orrible lot. My wench is away being important once more. She said to me the other day when she was trying to skive off work due to a hangover: ‘I can’t go into work in a bad state, I handle money.’ Haha, what bollocks. I love it when financial people get all delusional like that, so don’t worry I set her straight. I calmly pointed out to her that if I fucked up my last job someone might have found a small metal implant buried in their spinal column. This means dead or paralysed. She stopped, fortunately.

‘I handle money though.’ Yeah well, I handle my penis and every last little sperm is a potential human life, so don’t gimme that. The frustration’s setting in again, can’t you tell? This podcast has some news and some current things, and then explores the randomiser on my music library, doffing my cap to the recent Contrast Podcast episode which I was too slow to participate in. Gah.

It is also my birthday on Monday, thirty-two since you ask, and we will be down in London to celebrate the occasion with our Southern friends, so there’s a couple of birthday thingies in there too, most screamingly obviously the first track of course. Enjoy Toadlings, enjoy.

Toadcast #16 – The Birthday Podcast

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01. Clem Snide – Happy Birthday (02.18)
02. The Courteeners – Acrylic (08.56)
03. Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong – Sleazy Hughes (12.46)
04. Cloud Atlas – Cigarettes & Apricots (15.54)
05. Arab Strap – There is No Ending (24.04)
06. Malcolm Middleton – The Devil & the Angel (29.32)
07. Down the Tiny Steps – Photosynth (37.29)
08. Eef Barzelay – Make Another Tree (42.19)
09. Loch Lomond – Northern, Knees, Trees & Lights (51.35)
10. The Pogues – Bolero Del Perro Listo (59.23)
11. Crash Test Dummies – Sonnet #3 (The Cold is Here) (66.52)
12. Ben Folds – You’ve Got to Learn to Live With What You Are (68.44)
13. Cold War Kids – Hair Down (81.39)
14. The Hold Steady – The Party Pit (90.22)
15. Tom Waits – Diamonds & Gold (94.11)
16. Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra – Monsieur Le Charmant (100.18)

Apparently this lot are not just buzz, they are uber-buzz. Mind you, it was a publicity agent that told me this so it is just barely conceivable that they may perhaps be exaggerating slightly. Joe Lean himself was apparently the Pipettes drummer until quite recently, and they were utterly dreadful, but I can promise you there is a bit more life here.

I have a six-track demo and for all it’s absolutely familiar, bog-standard NME Next Big Fucking Thing indie pop, there are nevertheless some very satisfying moments to be had. Sleazy Hughes is the obvious one to pick out, but the rest of it is old-fashioned punky indie tunes with a hint of rockabilly about them here and there. It’s good, and I am definitely enjoying listening to their stuff, although I can’t confess to being anything like overwhelmed. I don’t know what to expect from this lot, but they seem pretty decent from what I’ve heard and could be alright.

Then again, they could just be the NME’s latest favourite masturbation fantasy…

Their new single Lucio Starts a Fire is out on 8th October and can be pre-ordered here. Certainly one to consider for the more youthful indie poppers amongst my audience.

Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong – Sleazy Hughes
Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong – I Ain’t Sure

website | hype | buy the single