Johnny Panic / Qui

At the Water Rats, near Kings Cross, Central London, a crowd of people gathered to witness the styling's of underground rock band Qui. The pub is very old, very dark and a little run down, it’s the perfect venue for the gig ahead. The headliners are a band from Los Angeles with a very peculiar name and I have to say I was not quite sure what to expect.

By the end of the night this reviewer would know that he would never subject himself to the torture of this American trio ever again. The entire performance dragged on for nearly an hour and entirely lacked any sort of redeeming moment. Endless guitar solos and complete arrogance were in abundance, over shadowing little, if any, melody, harmony or structure. Someone should tell these aging rockers that a song needs a start, middle and an end and no amount of growling or screaming will make up for it.

The performance was not all bad, this band obviously practice their showmanship. The groups dedicated fans, of which their seemed to be many, actively engaged in banter with the group’s lead singer, David Yow. The ones that managed to resist the urge to seek refuge in the pubs other room really got a show. This band knows how to play. Qui seemed to blend with their audience, a skill that I have rarely seen demonstrated so effortlessly. For a threesome they do manage to make quite an impressive racket.

Qui’s rocky sound is reminiscent of metal band Korn and relies on heavy distortion to disguise the lack of a bass guitar, on most of their songs. I don’t know the reason behind this brave move.

Thankfully the gig was only one half disappointing. The support act, Johnny Panic from South-East London, gave a performance fit for any stage. Conducted with professionalism and charisma they managed to drag the audience, sitting comfortably at the bar, to the front of the stage.

Banter is kept to a minimum and the songs played with accuracy and concentration. I would say that the group’s repertoire does lack in variety but their stand out song is album track 'I live for’. There are no real ballards in Panic’s set list and indeed on their new album, 'The Good Fight' (see the review section of this website). Dedicated fans, of which I met a couple, may view this observation differently but the songs do seem to all be in a similar style. Yes, Panic are a 'rock band’, so perhaps this is not a major concern but we would have to agree to differ on that matter.

Having had mixed feelings about their album and current single, 'Dislocation’, I wasn’t looking forward to this performance. Despite this I was pleasantly surprised to find that the songs take on a new life when performed live.

I enjoyed Panic’s performance so much that I did not leave the room even once to refresh my pint glass; this is the ultimate test of quality in my book.

The performance was very much about the music and little words were exchanged between the band and the audience. A 'nice one' from singer Rob Solly between songs was about the limit of the bands conversation but I wouldn’t say it was the end of the world. I would suggest in future how ever that they do share their complementary beer with a certain member of this website, maybe next time.
Through out Panics set I was thoroughly entertained but as the night wore on I found myself more and more disappointed with the gigs second half, most of which I spent, like many others, with my fingers in my ears whilst sheltering under a table. Qui’s set was abysmal with every song bring more brain shattering mush than the last, not to mention their stupidly long encore. If you are looking to secure a day of work I would recommend Qui’s Myspace page because the three tracks on there are sure to horrify you to the point of illness.

And so in the words of Qui’s front man David Yow, 'Silence is golden.' I have to admit, I quite agree.

www.myspace.com/qui
www.myspace.com/johnnypanic