Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, Team Waterpolo, Cheeky, Cheeky and the Nosebleeds.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 24th January 2008.

REVIEW ONE BY Martin Stapleton.

The first Hungry Bears gig of 2008 sees current NME favourites Joe Lean and the JING JANG JONG play to a packed Esquires (reasonably priced at £6.50, it must also be noted). The band may have its detractors, but in front man Joe (Lean) Beaumont they might have Borrell in the making. Although only in his mid-twenties, he has already carved out an acting career (his facial features remind me of a young Gary Oldham) as well as a stint as The Pipettes drummer. The rest of the band are comprised of Dom O’Dare (guitar), Tom Dougall (guitar), ‘Panda’ (bass) and, I kid you not, ‘Bummer’ the drummer.

An expectant and excited crowd swarm to the front as the band arrive on stage. As they begin, I am instantly drawn to the rockabilly swing of ‘Tough Terrible’. ‘I Ain’t Sure’ possesses a lush retro sixties soulful sound. Prior to the gig tonight the band have been in the recording studio, and will be again tomorrow, as bassist Panda informs me post gig. Naturally the debut single from last autumn ‘Lucio Starts Fires’ gets a rapturous reaction as it starts up, and this does not subside through this three minute ‘dance sensation’. With audience participation enjoyed at every given opportunity, the blitzkrieg ballad on ‘Lonely Buoy’ seals up an interesting and varied set. Once more, here at Esquires, we witness a hyped up band, whether Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong turn that into a successful career is for the future. As Joe tonight sang, ‘loyalties come, loyalties go’.
Guitarist Panda kindly gave me a set list which was as follows, Tough Terrible, Where Do You Go, I Ain’t Sure, Dear Rose, Lucio Starts Fires, Why Do You Break…, Teenagers, Lonely Buoy, Baby.

Support tonight comes firstly from East Anglian lads CHEEKY CHEEKY AND THE NOSEBLEEDS. The most noticeable thing about this band is that the vocalist wears a distinctive stripy blazer. As Roar Club supremo Milky remarks to me during their slightly meandering set, they are a poor mans Young Knives.

Raising the pulse rate a lot higher are Preston’s TEAM WATERPOLO. Highlights include the dancey ‘It’s Our Life’ which has a knockout chorus (“it’s our life, it starts tonight”), plus a fine performance of forthcoming debut single ‘Letting Go’. A strange band name but an impressive set.

REVIEW TWO BY Stacey - thefanatic.livejournal.com

It's roughly a year since JOE LEAN & THE JING JANG JONG played their first gig in January 2007 and they are hotly tipped as an up and coming band of 2008. With confirmation of being added to the bill at the Isle Of Wight festival later this year it is great to see such rising talent playing at Esquires and even greater to see the crowd enjoying it. Support came from the like of CHEEKY CHEEKY AND THE NOSEBLEEDS www.myspace.com/cheekynosebleeds and TEAM WATERPOLO www.myspace.com/teamwaterpolo who successfully managed to get the crowd warmed up, ready for Joe Lean and his gang. JOE LEAN & THE JING JANG JONG finally took to the stage (minus Joe Lean himself at this point) to begin their set with the meandering sound of the instrumental "Tough Terrible"; with it's cacophony of guitars it certainly got everyone in the Jing Jang Jong frame of mind, ready for the main man to make his appearance on the stage. Nearing the end of "Tough Terrible" Joe Lean graced the stage to join the band, wearing extremely tight jeans that took skinny to a whole new level. Throughout the set Joe Lean never seemed to be far from his drum, which he would grab and hit and then discard it to the ground, only to repeat this again a couple of songs later.

Debut single "Lucio Starts Fire" proved popular, mainly because of it's catchy lyrics and the fact that, being a debut single, it has been embedded in our brains since 2007. Second single "Lonely Buoy" is set to be another hit, with the guitar, in parts, seemingly mimicking the 'sparks made by the trains as they rattle on the deadbeat tracks'. "I Ain't Sure" is a song of mixed emotions, about falling in love, breaking apart and uncertainty about the future; it's much softer than other songs, one obviously about love and relationships. During this song, Joe Lean reaches out and holds the hand of a lucky girl in the front row and throws in a kiss on the hand for good luck, proving that Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong can combine romance and catchy lyrics into one song and with promising results.

Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong play their songs with a stage presence that is far from arrogant like some bands who are all too full of themsleves; they also manage to do it with energy and passion, along with the occasional dodgy hip thrust which really should become their signature move. I have to say, from now on, Lucio is officially my middle name.