Some bands form over a mutual love of the same bands, a shared dream, complimentary ambition, casual convenience, sheer dumb luck. However, Joanna Gruesome allegedly sprang to life on the recommendation of an anger management class. If true, that initial formation, kind of makes sense if Joanna Gruesome’s music is anything to go by – there are definitely some issues being worked out here.
Anger management, and issues, in the bag, that’s not to say Joanna Gruesome are a fivesome of one-dimensional rage. No, instead they channel that aggression into controlled outbursts within the constraints of tight, catchy, and heavily melodic indie. There’s quite a mix-match of sounds going on here with coy elements of C86 and indie pop, by way of lashings of fuzz, lo-fi haze, ethereal vocals, and those forays into fury by way of noise rock outbursts with punk spirit. Equal parts harmony and dissonance.
The five piece have gone all Ramones, or Los Campesinos!, and adopted their musical moniker as their mutual surname. So, comprising this five piece we have Alanna Gruesome, Owen Gruesome, Max Gruesome, George Gruesome and of course, Dave Gruesome. A bit of Welsh and a bit of English, these five are Cardiff based and are a shining example of how the Welsh Music Foundation had been helping up and coming acts with advice and support, right until it was forced to close due to government cuts. Sigh.
Delve into the band’s lyrics and you’ll find chaotic little ditties about psychotic episodes, Satanic rituals, Ouija boards, the occult, amateur dentistry, and fucked up love. The perfect subject matter for a band that, not so much tread water but flail at the surface between Veronica Falls and Japandroids with armbands made from Savages and Perfect Pussy? I’d say so. Though, aside from manic horror, the band are very vocal in their opinions, including inherent sexism in the music industry among other things. These are clearly collective not afraid to voice their thoughts, and go against the status quo. After all, they must’ve been angry about something to end up in anger management…
Check out their debut album Weird Sister. They’re also supposed to be brilliant live, which I hope to verify for myself at this year’s Green Man festival.
*Cultured Vultures would like to apologise for mistakenly using an image of Perfect Pussy in an earlier version of the article. We obviously know the difference, gosh.
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