By Keith Walsh
From Portsmouth, in the south of England, comes Joy In Blue, a post punk quartet that creates smart and melodic music. The four guys were just ready to play their first gig when the COVID-19 crisis hit.
From the opening moments of their debut single, “Old Roads,” one hears the influence of pop, although the slightly sinister sound of distorted guitars and dark pounding drums soon take over. As is apropos with punk, there are hints of discontent and commentary on a world that’s not alright. Even their soon-to-be-released follow up single, “Places,” flirts with sentimentality, before exploding into a rage filled cadence. There are elements from the grunge movement in both pieces.
The band is tight and precise, with the drum and bass team of Will Gibson and Charlie Howson-Janes pounding out the foundation, while lead guitar by Zach Reynolds and rhythm guitar by vocalist Ben Turley add an edgy spark of energy. Turley and Gibson are working towards their B.S. degrees in Music Technology, which affords the band the chance to record at the studios at the University of Portsmouth.
I asked Reynolds about what’s around the corner for Joy In Blue. “At the moment, we are planning a campaign of single releases to engage with our audience as much as possible and get our music out to them quicker.” Reynolds, Howson-Janes and Turley met as freshmen in college, with Gibson joining them relatively recently, in January. After a couple months of practice Joy In Blue were ready to bring their sound to the people – but fate had other plans. “The virus actually had our first show cancelled,” says Reynolds. “We had our debut show lined up in our hometown (Portsmouth, UK) and the virus sent the country into a lockdown a few days before it was meant to take place. Naturally, we were gutted but we’re fired up and ready to go with new, freshly-written material as soon as shows can go ahead.”
In addition his role as lead guitarist, Reynolds plays cornerback for his football team at the University Of Portsmouth, and is a big fan of what’s called American Football. Reynolds explains: “Football (what you guys call soccer) and rugby are the biggest sports out here for sure. But American football is definitely growing what with the NFL games that are now played in London every year.”
Reynolds has more to say about football, and its apparent connection (if only nominal) to the world of music. “I’m a big fan of American Football (hence the Notre Dame jacket). It’s one of my main hobbies outside of music as I play for my university team,” he says. “I have tried to convince the others to come and give it a try but have had no luck so far (other than Charlie who I’m sure would be a terrifying linebacker). We’re also all big fans of the band American Football who are probably one of the bands that got us all much deeper into emo music.”
As I usually do, I asked Reynolds if there are any Fender guitars in the band’s arsenal. “The only Fender user in the band is Ben, who plays a beautiful custom Telecaster.” Reynolds told me he plays a Mayones Regius 6, his “pride and joy.”
Stay tuned for more info about this up and coming band from England, and their lyric video for “Places” coming on July 20.
https://www.facebook.com/joyinblue
(Featured image: [L-R] Charlie Howson-Janes, Will Gibson, Ben Turley, Zachary Reynolds).
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