This show was billed as the Penultimate live show by Jonny Cola and the A-Grades as well as the Single launch show for the band's latest 7" Blow Up/Rubber Band so unless you get along to the bands final show at the Buffalo Bar as part of Some Weird sin on August 30 you'll have to wait for the re-union tour somewhere around 2020 I'd guess.
I got in after the Frankly's had finished but just before Romance came on, they are a young 4 piece rock band fronted by a rather pretty blond guy in skin tight leather trousers and an embroidered waistcoat giving the impression that he wants to be Ian Astbury circa 1984 but without the stupid Native American head-dress, even though he wasn't even born then.
When they start playing my view of his aspirations don't change as he sounds very Ian Astbury like only this guy actually sounds good live unlike Astbury who I've never seen play a good show.
Romance play kinda love metal a bit like Jettblack or Reckless Love but with a large dose of Hurricane Party/Roadstar thrown into the mix.
They are good fun and the singer has the moves to attract a lot of women to him and the band and when he sings about crying One More Time I'm sure he can melt a few hearts along the way. Burn Like Fire adds to the libidinous nature of the material that still needs some honing but seems to be in with a chance of building a following. While the band's sound does sound better when the singer plays guitar but it also means they lose some of his presence
He does some of his best snake hipped dancing once he loses the waistcoat on Everybody's Free a song that seemed to get a decent reaction. They finish with mountains a pretty decent rock song that could easily work as a single. Romance have plenty of potential only time will tell if they can make good on it.
After the break during which Belle Star spins the tunes on come Jonny Cola And The A-Grades and they open with In The Woods sounding every bit as good as ever the band are tight and it sounds great as did Marlborough Road that saw Mauro and Jez swapping guitar licks like crazy.
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Jonny then introduced the aa side of the new single Rubber Band that is an original and not a Bowie Cover and it sounded great all glammed up pretty spunky before they did what I think is a new song Oh Gabrielle and she may well have been In the audience, still it sounded just very cool although what did she do to deserve this song about her..
Halo had most of the audience singing along to this earlier single and Simon's bass seemed to hold it all together before the breakdown but damn it sounded good. Rain Stopped Play was next and sounding as good as ever especially as the rain nearly stopped be going out and it was certainly more topical than Tropical Beach that followed it with some pin sharp stops and starts and a great solo from Jez towards the end.
They finished the set with the a side for the current single Blow Up a song that really should Blow Up big for them.
It was no surprise that they came back for an encore that opened with a great version of Straight To Video that is as episodic as ever with its keyboards break down and slow build up a great song. They then played a song I didn't recognize but sounded cool before they closed the show with a great version of The Party's over go on get out well ok if we have to. Well the band may be about to end but they are going out sounding in great form really tight and this set was great fun.
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