Josh Weller may very well be the most striking man in London. An aesthetic mish-mash of Tim Burton and something from an early David Lynch movie, the guy projects an image that is utterly entrancing. Wearing a haircut - and I use the word "cut" loosely; it's teased aggressively skyward - that adds almost two extra feet to his height (and provides a serious health hazard being so close to the ceiling lights), all eyes are centered on this bespectacled young man and his hair, tweed, skinny jeans and glittery shoes.
He's certainly a more interesting proposition than the other Weller.
As usual with the tightly knit environs of Madame Jo Jo's, each performer is pressed close to the audience. It's intimate and restrictive - in the past I've seen some (who shall remain nameless) wilt under the pressure of such a small area and near-zero mobility. Yet as he bounds onstage, it's clear this kinda place is Josh Weller's playground. One song in, the guitar breaks and he leaps on the opportunity for an acoustic moment, shushing the audience and perfecting a 45 degree lean off the stage so we can all hear him. It's a ballsy act that guarantees instant endearment; a happy accident that sets the tone for what follows.
And what follows? It's quirky, irreverent pop, not entirely dissimilar to They Might Be Giants were they nurtured on a southeast London squat. Weller's songs touch base on a similarly diverse number of influences as TMBG. There's an obvious love of the old show tunes and Broadway, a bit of gypsy folk, maybe some Elvis Costello and Tom Waits.
Tracks from Weller's current "Push" EP are the meat and potatoes of tonight's set. "Tough Luck in Love", with its repetitive mantra of He has a new haircut... set to an oompah oompah beat hits the mark but "She Cant Quit Smoking" - a fey ponder on the difficulty of quitting in the face of cool - is a little underwhelming, both live and on record. Still, the crowd doesn’t seem to mind and they lap up Weller's rocking and mugging.
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It's the EP title track "Push" that seems to sum up the appeal of this walking haircut - full of bombast, lunacy and stomp, it could easily find it's way onto the playlist of any respectable drunken pub wedding, preferably played at the moment where everyone is too drunk to go home but just drunk enough for one last dance.
If there's anything really lacking in tonight's show then it's Weller's voice. While his songs may shine in craft and animate in delivery, the vocal element is simply quite pedestrian. It's lucky for him that he cuts such a vibrant figure onstage, never still for a single moment - the charm of the swagger compensates, somewhat, and the whole shebang works despite this weakness.
Support act Paloma Faith joins him for the closing, number; an ode to the joys of a relationship which recalls the long forgotten Jarvis Cocker/Miki Berenyi duet "Ciao!" infused with a Chas N Dave knees up onstage. Flanked by Faith - an ex-burlesque performer with a syrupy rasp and a stunning pair of nylons - Weller abandons guitar and busts loose in a mélange of sweat and static electricity. It's a star turn that promises much.
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