Reviewed onFriday June 10
“That idea is so crazy, it just might work.” It’s a well-worn trope of a line in the world of cinema, but it also finds its way into the quote-unquote ‘real’ world from time to time as well. Case in point: Philadelphia Grand Jury attempting a hybrid of one of their reputably fun rock shows with a night singing karaoke with total strangers, the Philly Jays themselves serving as the house band. Crazy? In the coconut. Yet here we are, packed like sardines into Oxford Street’s Brighton Up Bar to see just how this all pans out.
We’re first treated to a slew of Philly Jays favourites. ‘Ready To Roll’ and ‘I’m Gonna Kill You’ fire off with urgency, ‘Wet Winter Holiday’ elicits a full-room sing-along and guitarist/vocalist Simon Berckelman gets among the crowd for a rousing ‘Save Our Town’. It’s truly something how little these songs have aged – the evolution of music may as well be measured in dog years for how much can change – and just how much fun the Philly Jays are having playing them again after a couple of years in the wilderness. The second part of the show is seamlessly transitioned into as the band call up their first few brave souls to sing ‘The Good News’, which gets the crowd onside immediately.
It becomes quickly apparent that this crazy idea has indeed found a way to work. The band members themselves are versatile, shifting gears between each karaoke hit and bringing them to life with a slight twist. They propel head first into party-starters like Liam Lynch’s ‘United States Of Whatever’ and Prince’s ‘Kiss’, and they even get into an R&B groove with TLC’s ‘Waterfalls’ and Salt-N-Pepa’s ‘Shoop’ – the latter of which sees drummer Dan Williams get so excited that he throws in a rap verse of his own.
Of course, holding up the other end are the loyal punters themselves – every person who takes up a microphone is eager, enthusiastic, and for the most part, talented to boot. The cheer that goes up after one gent nails a Bowie impression on ‘Let’s Dance’ is just as loud for the two friends who team up for a barnstorming rendition of Shania Twain’s ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman’. It takes us all the way through to 1am with a delightfully trashy ‘I Don’t Want To Party (Party)’. Truth be told, we could’ve gone all night.
