Nae Joy @ Bloc+, Glasgow (3rd April 2019)

w/ Dead By Monday

WORDS: Joanne Gray

I decided to head down to Bloc to witness a night of Glasgow (broadly speaking) hardcore. Headlining the night was the two piece Nae Joy, a band that I had never actually heard of before finding out about this gig. Supporting them, and the main reason why I decided to pop along, were Dead By Monday, another local band I've seen a few times. This gig was originally supposed to be supported by Blood Orange, who had unfortunately split up and had to cancel their support slot. Far too common for our local bands huh? But that's an issue for another time... The fact that Dead By Monday were booked as a replacement meant that I was keen on going to this gig. 

And as it so happens, so were a whole bunch of other people. I walked in to the band just starting, and the place was pretty full. Over the last few years, Dead By Monday have been building a bit of a buzz for themselves, and this seems to have only heightened with the addition of their new vocalist Jordan Barr. Speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen him perform with the band live. Very rarely staying in one place for too long, Barr was like a fuzzy blonde ball of energy. In between climbing onto the side seats and nearby chairs, he would throw himself into the crowd in a bid to further heighten the mood. Of which was a particularly joyous and frantic one. Similar to Barr, the rest of the band threw all their efforts into their performances, swivelling about the stage to the point of nearly taking each other out with their instruments. A particular highlight was when the bassist wandered off to the bar while still playing through a wireless set. The impressed laughter of the bar staff really helped sum up the mood of this set. The band really thoroughly looked like they were enjoying themselves, and it was all pretty infectious.

This bled into the actual music they were playing as well. Livening up the typically serious hardcore style were some great groovy riffs that were reminiscent of both Rage Against The Machine and Every Time I Die's more southern fried material. The joyful, yet frantic nature of the material was particularly emphasised in the interplay between all of the musicians onstage, but I want to give an overwhelming shout out to their drummer Ciaran Whyte. Perhaps the best drummer in Glasgow at the moment, there was not one single moment where he wasn't giving maximum effort. Effortlessly throwing in some thrashy blast beats among a funky disco beat and some absolutely killer fills, Whyte continues to be one of the most talented and engaging drummers you'll see. No exaggeration at all here. And this level of engagement is something which can be extended to the rest of the band. Whether they were throwing down some furious breakdowns, frantic stakepunk riffing or some enthused danceable grooves, Dead By Monday excelled musically and on an entertainment level. In short, the addition of their new vocalist has made this band a much tighter and even more exciting band to watch live. If you ever see Dead By Monday live, expect to be blown over by their ability to grab an audience by the throat and make them pay attention. You probably won't have any choice in the matter.

Image: Joanne Gray

__________________

Up next were Nae Joy, who were markedly more serious and more than a little bit different musically. Following up from the bigger band Dead By Monday would prove to be a challenge for the band, who said themselves that this was only the fourth or fifth proper show they had ever played. It was a challenge that the band met face on however, even if the crowd was that little bit smaller by the time they came on. 

The guitarist/drummer duo filled in the gaps where the bass would normally be with some chunky low end single notes and clever use of an octave pedal before cranking up the gain and making the sludgy riffs all the more impactful. On the night, I found the bass sections to be a little bit on the quiet side but it will be interesting to see how this band develops this approach further. The likes of Royal Blood and Drenge have shown that it is more than possible to get a great tone with only two members. Switching between stoner-esque slow riffs reminiscent of Black Sabbath, downtrodden and highly aggressive post-punk in the style of Idles and more fast paced skatepunk a la NOFX, I found Nae Joy to be an interesting band to watch live. In terms of the stage performance, they could have been barely any more different to the previous band, as the somewhat more complex set up of the guitarist's gear and the shared vocals between both members meant that it was quite a static performance. That's not to say that it didn't suit the vibe of the music. It absolutely did. This was less a set of danceable hardcore than gloomy dark punk which made me think of Can't Swim if they were just that little bit heavier. They had a few breakdowns up their sleeves which made a few members of the audience and the guitarist have a bit of a move around to. The drummer here in particular was a firecracker, throwing in some mad skatepunk rolls while doing some gang vocals and thrashing away on the kit to the point where he was drenched in sweat and looking like he would pass out by the end. 

I did feel like there was still a bit of nerves from the band, as stated by the guitarist towards the end of the set. This resulted in very little stage banter, and some quiet moments between songs when the guitarist was tuning up which felt slightly awkward. From what I saw of Nae Joy during this set however, I can't imagine this nervousness will last that long once they get a few more shows in their back pocket. They certainly have potential due to the fact that I've not quite heard a band that sounds quite like them, all the while managing to do so with only two members onstage. Maybe next time they'll have the greater fortune of playing after a smaller band and they'll have a less intimidating experience performing. Although their brand of hardcore is not so much my thing as what Dead By Monday offer, I'll certainly be keeping an eye on this band and encourage anyone who likes the bands I've mentioned to check them out. They don't have any material on Spotify as of yet, but that should hopefully change in the very near future. 

Image: Ray Mondo

__________________

Thanks very much for reading, and thanks to Ray for providing some pictures from the night. Please leave a comment, give us a like/follow on the socials, or get in touch if you would like to contribute to RWEI. Cheers!