Josh Grierson (Mercurial)

I don’t think there are words. But I will pull some together anyway. Considering profanity is my profession.

I have never been belted by beauty. I think. Disarmed, distended, upended; yes. But belted, no. Not until Josh (performing variously as Mercurial, Emokidjosh, and Josh Grierson, and often grabbing a mic during Taxi sets). As a precursor to its magnitude, I was knocked over by his voice during sound check - blasting though two doors and three walls over every other plugged instrument. With no mic. Thank heavens I was sitting already.

Then he came on stage, unassuming, warm, easy. And slaughtered us with the sweetest sounds. One man standing.

If you’re old enough (and no I’m not, but) think human rights concert 1987. A girl with a guitar. Captivates the whole crowd. (that was Tracy Chapman). Only, this is a guy. And we’ve got our rights. Or so it says in the constitution. This is a guy, with a guitar, and the voice of a vengeful angel.

This is what they call dumbstruck. Never mind the thunder.

It’s dry lightning with a kiss at the end. Just like last night’s almost-storm.

Josh Grierson's voice made my soul cry.

Use your rights. open your ears. and let him sing the sin out of you.

hear it : ROAR

if you think of Mordor as a dark land of wild things, you're probably right. in the local and fantastical sense. here in luvmeland, it was the darkish haunt of local noise. it's now home to ROAR> and it's putting blood back into the mostlymuffled mildwild that is capetown "sound" engineering...

the only thing i know for sure about it is the one thing that's well worth shouting about in a half-deaf town:

the sound rig is friggin brilliant.

listening to Her Pretty Face and Taxi Violence there on friday night was a catharsis. clean sound, cutting through every edge of air, into your bones - taking the music home. when sound is this good, you can hear everything the artists put into the music.

it's a grreat place to sample a band for the first time. again and again.