Audio, 15th January 2009

There had been so much hype surrounding this gig that it seemed almost impossible that Little Joy could live up to expectations. In a way they were nothing like the expectations: this wasn’t a showcase for Fab-Moretti-from-The-Strokes, it was six lovely people playing lovely music on a freezing mid-January evening and making 2009 seem a little bit more hopeful.

With all the talk of a 90’s music comeback, it makes a change to see a band who seem to have stumbled right out of the 60’s, with catchy little songs, an easy-going vibe, and a guitarist who looked more like John Lennon than Lennon himself. The songs themselves are simple and uncluttered, and although the three members of Little Joy had expanded to six for the gig, they retained their simplicity and relaxed state of mind. “Unattainable” featured only a minimal guitar and the voice of Binky Shapiro, and sparked a silent awe from the audience. They were also refreshingly unpretentious and it was clear the band themselves, along with the audience, were just genuinely having a great time. Nearing the end of the set all the members of the support band The Dead Trees joined Little Joy on stage for “Don’t Watch Me Dancing”, not for any obvious musical input, but just so that they could all sing together, it seemed. Similarly during “Brand New Start”, this collaborative singalong stretched out to the audience.

The wonderful thing about watching a band with only one album is that no one leaves disappointed, they played every song, and a cover, with not even a scrap left over for an encore. Each audience member appeared to take from the gig just what they wanted: people danced, people sang along, people just stood and tapped their feet and everyone had a lovely evening. This gig really was a little joy, and it was made even better by the fact that, to be honest, I had expected the complete opposite.

Words by Rose Hales

Photography by Rob Thomas