Joan as Policewoman
» Bronx, The - venue, Fri, December 12
» Datsuns, The - venue, Sun, December 14
» Mick Thomas - venue, Fri, December 19
» Mick Thomas and the Sure Thing - venue, Fri, December 19
» Mick Thomas and the Sure Thing - venue, Sat, December 20
» Soko - venue, Thu, January 1
» Stars - venue, Fri, January 2
» Throwing Muses - venue, Thu, January 15
» The Boys of Summer Tour (Afternoon U18 show) - venue, Thu, January 22
» Joan as Policewoman - October 12, 2008
» Yeasayer - October 4, 2008
A lot of gigs I go to these days are ruined for me by the crowd. Large aggressive wankers who push their way through the crowd unapologetically, then decide to stand in front of me for the duration of the gig. Or the cocks who work their way to the front, and then talk their way through the entire gig. I stand there wishing them an aneurism, and find it difficult to focus on the band I’d come to see. Last night I headed along to catch Joan As Policewoman at The Corner. Thankfully I was treated to a great big respectful and friendly room packed to the rafters, which made the show all the more special.
The band themselves were great. Front-woman, Joan Wasser, played a set of adventurous melodies and provided one of the more honest performances I’ve ever seen. Her dynamic voice and straight-up stage presence silenced the room at times, which is no easy feat in Melbourne. With only a drummer and bass player (sorry, no idea of names as wiki wasn’t much help) supporting Wasser with ambitious, though occasionally pitchy harmonies, the sound produced was not quite as lush as the new album, To Survive. But the point was made and the performance was still amazing.
A highlight of the set was Wasser’s onstage banter. Apparently the band had run into Chopper Read at the Qantas Lounge at the airport and had the whole Chopper story explained to them by their tour manager. Wasser’s constant references to “The Chopper” were funny in their naivety, and they quickly came to a head when someone from the crowd joked that he was in the bar next door.
It was a refreshing experience to see such a cool performance while being part of a big friendly crowd. Joan As Police Woman fans are my sought of people, and Joan Wasser is my kind of performer. Honest, risky, ambitious, and beautiful.
