Voodoo Johnson @ THE WYESIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL, Hereford, ENGLAND (6/06/2009)

The last band of the night is another that has the potential of becoming big and one which has been building up their experience over the last few years. A band with hell of a big sound, it was a return to the festival for these boys as last year they proved so popular. Voodoo Johnson play hard rock in a classic style with echo’s of bands like Guns n' Roses, Iron Maiden, Tesla and Aerosmith. It’s as if they’ve delved back into the dark mists of classic rock, pulled out fragments here and there and then bedevilled them with their own Voodoo Johnson magic. There’s a certain maturity that comes across in their songs, which focus on strong riffs, distinctive, tuneful vocals and are nicely soaked in melody.

They had the feel of a band that has played a lot of gigs and have been working hard in the best traditions of Rock at playing gigs when and wherever they can. You can clearly hear in their performance that musically they are well practiced and have the growing confidence which comes with that. Vocalist and front-man Kev Bayliss has a more laid back approach to working the crowd and doesn’t try to force himself onto them, he works using more gentle persuasion and led by example with an impassioned performance. On twin lead guitars, the brothers Carl and (the hulking) Paul Gethin thrust through the dry ice laying claim to the riffs and certainly their solo’s, but along with Rich Bellamy (Bass) and Dave Barker (Drums) were a little understated in their visual performance – something despite their experience they may need to develop in the quest to win over new fans. You can already see that Carl is getting into things more and showing the way, particularly when the spotlight falls on him. It’s only a minor niggle and willingly pushed aside because the music does much of the talking for them and is the firm foundations from which the rest will undoubtedly come.

A good end to the night with a power packed set from VJ, and one that was very much appreciated by a cheering crowd. This is definitely a band to check out and unless I am very much mistaken a band which we will be seeing much more of in the future.

They sound just as promising on record, as we found out when their street team were kindly giving out a three track promo at the festival (which will be reviewed soon), and also they currently have an EP available entitled “Into The Red” (more details on their myspace site).