Live Review

Theoretical Girl – Madame Jo Jo’s, London

• 12th Feb 2008

It is a night of firsts, then. This is the first time that I have been to Madame Jo Jo’s, a place that bills itself as the ‘The Heart of Soho’s Darkness.’ The balconies, sunken gig pit, banquettes and cabaret décor add something of their own to the gig. It is also the first time that Theoretical Girl has played with her backing band, The Equations. They arrive on stage late, around half ten, to what feels like a big sense of expectation. Previously slack gig goers are now tense on the balls of their feet.

The first band on, Headlock, impress me. Suffering somewhat from lacklustre vocals, they make their mark with Hot Chip style funk. ‘Satisfied’ has a cute piano riff banged out on a Roland MV 8000, a kinetic bass line and very impressive drumming. I’m more impressed by ‘Let’s Work It Out’, again driven by bass and with an irresistible hook. They break styles with ‘Long Arms’ – a stop start conceit of a song with distorted punk blasts of guitar. It’s not their strength. Their strength is in the Elvis Costello-esque front man playing cowbell over mesmerising drumming and a bass line that bounces along with and at times above the mix.

The middle act pass me by. I don’t catch their name – I did try – but catch that they hail from Scandinavia. As expected, they’re proficient, but the sight of three guitars with the hands moving up and down the fret board remind me that Status Quo was decades ago. The vocals are blurry, indistinct, muddy, along with the dynamics of the songs themselves. Even their cover of a Ramones song lacks bite. Wallpaper. Maybe it is an affected stance, but the band themselves look bored, and if they aren’t excited to be here, how can we be?

Theoretical Girl is excited to be here and excited to be debuting with her backing band. There’s no denying the talent – flawless showmanship. Even a moment where her guitar cuts out is handled with aplomb. She’d stepped on the lead and in the hands of a male performer, would it just have been viewed as plain incompetence? Not so here. ‘Should Have Loved You More’ and ‘The Girl I Left Behind’ come and go, well sung, well played; the latter borrows a distinct slice of the drumbeat from ‘I am the Resurrection’ and consequently has some of its momentum. Plenty of other nods abound, the guitar drums and keyboard ethic of Britpop sinkpop, the glammy pop shimmy of a Sleeper crossed with some neat fretwork: ‘Dancehall Deceit’ is all punky stabs. ‘Strict Routine’ and ‘Red Mist’ are jagged and choppy but very traditional. There’s no genre stretching, pastiche, very little musical innovation. Ultimately it was a very confident and assured gig. It promises something eminently listenable but nothing that will stretch the musical lexicon.