#joes pub

[precious-little-scoundrel]

not to aestheticize a working class man clawing to get employment during the worst economic crash ever but…

[jgroffdaily]

More photos of Jonathan at the ‘Animal Magnetism’ presentation last Tuesday at Joe’s Pub, posted on Instagram by @adamboggsmcdonald and @saharmilani.

[marian-1122]

Joe Strummer of English pub rock group The 101ers with his guitar in the doorway of The Colonnades , 34 , Porchester Square , London , Uk , 1976.

©️ Julian Yewdall/Getty Images

[toba-the-tura]

why'd they remove him :(

[tinta-y-cometas]

Joe Hill

tw: culturabook. Cultura book

[grandwretch]

anyway is now a bad time to point out that joe won the break up

[whistlingstarlight]

If I had a nickel for every time a fantasy media had themes of duality, division, prophecy, reuniting a broken world and a bit of a believed benevolent ruler absorbing life force to continue ruling, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird it's happened twice-

[dreaminginsteadofsleeping42]

I went to the Black Dog with @sophisticatedswifts and I was surprised by how not pretentious it was. I guess I was expecting it to be in some intellectual artsy corner of London that took hours to get to, but you could literally see Big Ben just across the way. A humble, down to earth pubwe.

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Kill the Whale

April 14, 2024 | Joe's Pub | Evening | Concept Album Release | Song Cycle | 1H 40M

Long ramble, so buckle in:

I did not like Kill the Whale. Let's start this off being very clear on that. I went in knowing nothing, and I was fully prepared to love it. I love Amber Gray, I love Grace McLean, I love weird avante garde art. This was... I did not like what was presented to me. As a song cycle, a series of solo character introductory songs that don't do much to serve the plot is certainly a choice. The performers are all vocal powerhouses, that's undeniable. And with genres like rap, hip-hop, and lots of rock & roll, I understand why every song was screltched to the high heavens. But it was borderline painful to listen to as the night wore on, partially owing to the inconsistent sound mixing and inappropriate acoustics of Joe's Pub, but mostly it's the writing. The seven(?)-person band overpowered the vocalists on any lines not belted, and the belting pitched out more than once. Would it kill some of the singers to hold the microphone a little further back when going for it? And why do contemporary songwriters all want their performers to blow out their vocal chords every night? Everyone was full throttle the whole time, and it left little room for growth or breath.

The song cycle does remarkably little to evoke more than just head-bopping beats, as if the story inspiration is only really a mood setter and not integral to any plot or story trying to be told. There are almost no duets or indeed, characters singing with each other at all. The final Chase sequence (three parts) is really just like ten parts of individual solos with different genres and beats. There's little to really tie these songs together beyond a vague association with Moby Dick. The lyrics too are more about feelings and moods than about crafting a story. Should this ever become a piece of musical theatre, I don't think it would work as presented. It was also a 100-minute show and they had to cut songs for time, so that's...long. More than half is just one character intro song after another, and they're not so much as "I Want" or "I Am" songs, so much as "here's what I'm thinking about, you don't know me, or care yet, but here I am just ruminating about life," and that's tiresome after the sixth one in a row.

Also, one character is heavily influenced by rap and hip-hop and uses a lot of AAVE in his songs. The writer is a white man. I...wonder who or what he might have worked with to craft these numbers. I also wonder why this writer wanted to write a character whose songs speak so deeply about contemporary Black struggle and oppression. Because while the body emulating this on stage is Black, the words are from a white creator who is only ever imagining what that experience is.

That being said, I'm a lesbian, and Grace McLean (though even she screlted too much for me in the end) being hot and sexy and aggressive was great. Didn't save the night, but great nonetheless.

Verdict: A Long Slog to Curtains

A Note on Ratings

Had the show only been an hour-long sampling of songs, I'd have been more positive. But this was too long to listen to the same thing time after time. As an album where I can control whether or not I want my eardrums to hurt (I was at the back of Joe's Pub, so I can't imagine how the people up front fared), maybe I'd like it more? It's not my taste, at the end of the day, and I'm sure there are many people who love it. Pass.

[nocentis]

x

[precious-little-scoundrel]

Now, why would he do tha….

[jgroffdaily]

Various Instagram stories and posts from @itsellenwinter and others, following what was presumably a performance of songs from Jonathan, Ellen, Chris and Kelly’s new musical, at Joe’s Pub this morning. Including Instagram stories from Ben L Ross and Kuhoo Verma.

[marian-1122]

Joe Strummer and bassist Marwood Chesterton of English pub rock group The 101ers , playing in the basement rehearsal room at the band's squat at 101 Walterton Road , Maida Vale , London , UK , 1975 .

©️ Julian Yewdall/Getty Images

[traykar]

Fellas, I need the tldr of the Joe's Pub version of Razia's shadow. I feel like I understand half of it

[bruce-morrow]

The incomparable Pamela Sneed pays tribute to Big Mama Thornton, the original performer of "Hound Dog" which sold over 500,000 copies, the most at that time for a Black woman. Hope the show comes back to Joe's Pub!

GIF: Bruce Morrow

@pamela_sneed #bigmamathorton #joespub #blackhistorymonth #elvispresley #hounddog #lesbianhistory #lgbtqiahistory #lgbtqhistory #blackqueerlivesmatter

[giffypudding]

Joe getting his Carols on