The Jaguar Club @ the Indaba Loft - 18 October 2007

On Thursday night The Jaguar Club played one of the many Indaba Loft shows happening during CMJ. I walked in with their set already underway and immediately my attention was theirs.

I've liked the same post-punk, new wave sound for decades now, so I recognize rather quickly a band who's taken in the songs I love so much and used them to fuel their own creativity. The Jaguar Club has obviously done just that - I can say for certain they've spent time with Echo and with Morrissey and with early New Order and probably all of the others from this era/sub-genre as well. Though this is a slippery slope to walk along as a band coming up in a world where such influences have been cultivated ad nauseam, The Jaguar Club succeeds largely due to their dance inducing infectious energy.

From the moment I reached the loft space I was a slave to Yoichiro Fujita's bass lines and I'd be remiss not to offer up two obvious comparisons for those unfamiliar with The Jaguar Club: Simon Gallup and John Taylor. Pay close attention to that, because I don't just throw those names around willy-nilly when speaking of young bass guitarists. But one of the most important elements of a proper new wave band is a kick-ass bass player, and The Jaguar Club have that covered. The other two guys are great at what they do too, with Will Popadic blending the crooning of Morrissey with the energy of David Byrne and Jeremiah Joyce more than holding his own.

There'e enough potential behind this music that I'm confident in saying that The Jaguar Club is a band you should go see during their upcoming residency at Pianos if any of the aforementioned names get you excited.

See The Jaguar Club live:
7 November - Residency @ Pianos
14 November - Residency @ Pianos
28 November - Residency @ Pianos

Listen:
"Beat Of My Heart"

Watch:
"Perfect Timing" live (from this show) on YouTube | download QT

See more pictures of The Jaguar Club (from this show) HERE.

Visit The Jaguar Club on MySpace.