On their innaugural UK tour, Jaguar Love were hampered by only one point: They don't have a record out yet. Their debut full length, Take Me To The Sea, won't be out until next month. So it was that the half-empty 100 Club was populated by the hardcore fans of the Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves, the former bands of the members of Jaguar Love.
But those who did turn out got a bit of a treat. Though the songs were unfamiliar, they were delivered with the unrelenting energy of a band on a mission to make their audience fall in love. That singer Johnny Whitney successfully led a sing-along of their final song "My Organ Sounds Like..." (albeit the lyrics were little more than "la la la") is a testament to his charisma.
Whitney's disco diva shrieks are sounding stronger than they ever did with the Blood Brothers and are better suited to the seering guitar licks, dance floor beats, and retro keys of Jaguar Love. It's all but assured that when the band returns to the UK after the album's release (and their upcoming festival dates), there will be less half-interested bobbing and more proper dancing from the crowds.
It's always exciting to see bands in small venues, especially when it is evident that such intimate gigs are going to be short-lived. And though Jaguar Love will undoubtedly play well to larger crowds, it won't quite be the same when Whitney's spastic ticks fail to shower the audience with his sweat.
Photo by Amanda Farah.
