Junkbox, May 21, 2005

A ColdRice event, ?3/?5

From the blurb:

Someone once compared Junkbox to a Stealth Bomber, in as much as you can be blissfully unaware of their existence, but once they?ve got you in their sights, they?re capable of blowing you into the latter half of next week, and more. An interesting metaphor, and one which pretty much nails down Junkbox.
Whilst perhaps not quite as sophisticated as a Stealth Bomber, what Junkbox do produce is just as finely crafted. Junkbox deal in back-to-basics, stripped-for-action, high-octane rock?n?roll, with an affectionate nod in the direction of those who gave birth to the Blues.
What we know of Junkbox is fairly sketchy at best. Three is their magic number. Darren Van Asten on vox and guitar; John Devolle on lead guitar, and Shoko Ariba on drums.
No bass.
Why?
Because it is superfluous to their needs.
It didn?t take long for their existence to be acknowledged. In the midst of the ?London?s Burning? frenzy of late 2003, Junkbox, like a lot of other bands, occasionally found themselves sharing a stage with The Libertines at various, hastily arranged, ?Guerilla? gigs around the UK capital. Whilst most of these bands were desperate for the approving nod from their heroes, Junkbox, workmanlike as usual, just got on with the job in hand. That didn?t go un-noticed by a certain Peter Doherty, who made a largely incoherent phone call to John Devolle on Xmas day, telling him how much he loved the band, and moreso, wanted to help them out managerially. In retrospect, it?s a blessing in disguise, they chose not to take him up on his managerial offer, Peter Doherty is having a hard enough time barely managing himself. Still, he posted glowing critiques of the band on his Babyshambles? website, wrote poetry about them, and most helpfully invited them to support The Libertines (pre-chaos) at Bristol Colston Hall, and laterally, requested their presence on the first Babyshambles? UK jaunt. Most bands on the ?scene? would have happily amputated a limb to have these sorts of endorsements; Junkbox, casually, and characteristically took it all in their stride. After all, no concessions were made, it was all done on their terms. As it always will be.
Obviously Junkbox are gonna be seen out of context, as a ?post-Libertines? band, although their sound has no common factor with so many of the other outfits currently more deserving of that somewhat, lazy, uninspired collective term. The only similarities are, Junkbox play with a raw, unrefined passion, but they get it right.
Junkbox are not about ?style over content?, they simply are ?style? and ?content?.
Junkbox are happening, it?s not hard to see why. What?s more difficult is, ?how? in this current climate, can they sound so out on a limb, but still get it ?just? right. Basically, they are a Primal Swamp Blues Trio, a stripped down rock?n?roll machine which draws on all the same influences of some of the great outsiders of the last 50 years. We can make an educated guess at who?s in their record collections ? The Stones, New York Dolls, The Sex Pistols, The Cramps, The Birthday Party, The Fall, Pussy Galore, Royal Trux, The Blues Explosion, The Make Up ad infinitum. Yet they sound different from everything else ? appearing out of nowhere yet still being in all the right places at the right times..
So just how did Junkbox do it?
Same way as all the old rock?n?roll Bluesmen do it, I guess.
They obviously made a pact with a mysterious man at the crossroads, in the shadow of the old hanging tree, by the light of the full moon.
There really is no other explanation!