Ja Ja Ja – The Lexington, London 25/02/10

The Good The Bad | Photographs by Paul Bridgewater

Since launching back in November of last year, the Nordic musical affair that is Ja Ja Ja is steadily growing in stature, and with tonight’s event being curated by former Cocteau Twins bassist and Bella Union boss Simon Raymonde, the musical line up promises nothing but Nordic goodness.

American-Finnish songwriter Vuk is the first on the bill. Offering up a slice of alternative folk, Vuk seeks to challenge perceptions of what it is to be a female singer/songwriter. The gently pounding drums and smashed piano keys explode on to the stage in fits of raw energy, as Vuk’s voice soars high above the menacing yet uplifting melody. The avant-garde blend of piercingly high shrieking vocals from backing vocalist Loupine and ominously low moans from Vuk exude pure eccentricity, especially on songs such as ‘Accidental Mermaid’ as the flirtatiously joyful harmonies are accompanied by the haunting sound of the harmonium and pump organ.

Up next are Danish rockers The Good The Bad; offering something altogether different from Vuk’s quirky performance. Describing themselves as “New School Surf and Flamenco”, Adam Olsson, Johan Lie Gellett and Manoj Ramdas definitely, in the words of XFM’s Jon Hilcock, sound like “Link Wray meets the Eagles of Death Metal.” Sounding like the entire soundtrack to a Quentin Tarantino film, as the intricate guitar riffs are blasted out at speed, with a raw heavy energy.

With the crowd ever growing in size and punters from downstairs beginning to drag themselves topside, the room is rather packed by the time Norwegian trio Ungdomskulen take to the stage. Their unique brand of prog rock is monumentally adolescent in its subject matter, but even as the frantic instrumental compositions often break into messy tangents it is clear that the howling guitars, instrumental crescendos and minimalist breakdowns are carefully constructed. And after the dancing finished and the sweat has settled the evening finishes off with TLOBF’s very own Rich Thane spinning the decks with Simon Raymonde until the wee hours.

Ungdomskulen