Johnny Foreigner
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff | 28 March
From amidst the usual pre-band chatter ring the unannounced, unexpected vocals of Johnny Foreigner frontman Alexei Berrow. Cutting through the respectably large crowd gathered in Clwb Ifor Bach, Berrow instantly snaps all concerned to attention.
For those expecting the typically lairy sound of Johnny Foreigner, this stripped back, unreleased opener was cut to nothing but Berrow’s intriguing singing voice; a pleasant surprise, quite unlike the Johnny Foreigner of past shows. Not to worry though, it’s soon evident that their new material hasn’t forgotten its roots. The remaining members join Berrows onstage and plunge into noisy, shouty banger Le Sigh with their trademark unrelenting thrashing and vocal yelps.
It’s worth quickly noting the excellent support from Radstewart, a band surging from strength to strength. Riding high off the release of their Alcopop! debut Wiccans & Beatlemancers, Radstewart seem to be getting a little heavier and a little stronger with each performance; each time frontman Jac Jones pours more and more heart into their emotive and intriguing lyrics while the rest of the band follow suit.
Back to the main act, and one thing is certain: Johnny Foreigner know how to put on a show. With their unrelenting energy, delightful onstage personas and outrageous visuals – controlled live, by the way, with a fucking keytar – there is never a dull moment. It’s also doubtful that many other bands decide their set list through live on-stage rock-paper-scissors. There is, however some truth to the main criticism of the 3/10 NME review Johnny Foreigner so adamantly protest again and again throughout the evening; noise. There is perhaps a little too much of everything all at once as fast as possible, which at times can grow tiresome. 2014’s You Can Do Better marks a noted shift in Johnny Foreigner both on record and onstage however, and has set the Birmingham four-piece well on their way to addressing this problem. The record translates well to a live environment, with highlights of the whole set coming from the more focused and carefully composed tracks in their repertoire such as the beautifully tranquil Riff Glitchard and album opener Shipping.
With You Can Do Better added to their repertoire Johnny Foreigner look set to finally leave behind the criticisms of shapelessness that have plagued their career, and could well launch them into a promising future as an essential live band.
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Words: Henry Boon
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