10

Long Time No See

What happened to these guys? When I first saw these guys, they were supporting the Dandy Warhols and blew me away. So young, so confident, so tight, so what happened?


Click for large image

Click for large image

Click for large image

Having burst onto the scene in a bubble of hopefulness, they all but disappeared. But now they're back. A timely gig at Download coincides nicely with the release of their new single "She's Got It" and JJ72 return, a little bit older and wiser, with a mature sound. Having established themselves as angsty Irish emo-kids, we now find they have moved on. They originally appeared at a similar time as Muse, and really do deserve to be where Muse are now. Maybe that's why this new material strives that little bit further. Still classic JJ72 with a huge instrumental sound for a 3 piece and topped off with his pained falsetto. Only this time, there's a bit of a heavier kick to it all. Hilary is still the one that captivates me; nose in air, gorgeous as ever and now playing on a thunderbird, some of the heaviest bass riffs I've heard today... and I'm at Download!?!


Having come on stage immediately after Wednesday 13, I wasn't entirely sure that JJ72 could pull it off. Suffice to say, neither did the rest of the audience as most of them moved on. Personally, I think that's a shame. This new sound is so much heavier, at times the bass and drums verge on industrial, Wednesday 13's audience would have surprised themselves and actually quite liked it! As for me, JJ72 may have done a disappearing act for far too long, but they should all the better for it.


To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 15 available.