The Band Of Holy Joy

The Star and Shadow venue and cinema is a most suitable setting for the acts who came together to for a Pop Not Hate! gig to tackle racism and celebrate unity. Star and Shadow is run by a collective and has been running for a year in its current premises. The space is well-designed and well-equipped with a decent bar, there is an anarchist ethic, the atmosphere welcoming and organised, ideal for hosting indie and punk artists such as the bands on tonight.
The Hector Gannet are a local band from North Shields and play beautiful songs about the coast and docks, castles and light houses, about crossing to Holy Island and the Meccano of the cranes and ships that used to be built in the Tyne. Their compelling songs set against a video wall of archive footage of the coastline around the North East.
Oldfield Youth Club gave a classic punk set with contemporary resonance, dedicating one song at Jeremy Kyle's recent demise. Helen McCookery book took us through her personal songs with reference to life stories.
Finally the wonderful Band of Holy Joy came on and again presented an original and compelling set fronted by the supremely charismatic Johny Brown, at once opening his arms to the gathering, beseeching them at times and delivering his lyrical gems with a wonderful band right behind him, combining powerful guitar and keyboard interludes, against exciting glitched and sequenced imagery from Inga Tillere.