Joan as Polis Hen

For the 2nd and final time this year it was time to see Joan as Police Woman, this time on my own turf in the hallowed grounds of Edinburgh's Liquid Rooms.

Support this time was supplied by Leith's Dean Owens backed by the equally Leithish Kim Edgar. Tracks like Raining in Glasgow rained down on the assembled throng with Dean strumming along on accoustic guitar while Kim aquited herself ably on keyboards and backing vocals. On a number of tracks Dean let rip on the harmonica with the croud going wild, nothing to do with their being asked to do so beforehand, honest.

His set finished with Whisky Hearts. On the sleevenote to the album of that name, Irvine Welsh said "Every time he sings a song, he means it and feels it with every fibre of his being. Now that is something special - Scotland's most engaging and haunting singer-songwriter". According to Dean this track is being used on the soundtrack to a new Irvine Welsh movie next year. Hopefully this exposure will ratchet up his album sales and get Dean the success his talents deserve. Best of luck to him.

And so on to the main act, Joan as Police Woman, this time lacking the mad wigs they wore in Brussels. If anything Joan's Liquid Rooms set was better than the one I saw in Brussels. Better acoustically, more intimate and delivered with more intensity. Unfortunately some of the intensity was born out of necessity with the LR's ridiculous curfew forcing the band to finish at bang on 10 O'Clock to make room for the bland nightclub pap that followed. On being told of an iminent wrap Joan said "10 minutes, fuck that." a view shared by each of the 750 members of the entranced audience. As such she powered on through the remainder of the set without a break with tracks like America fired out with machine gun speed. The show climaxed with the band rocking out and Joan freaking out on keyboards like Nick Cave on steroids.

There then followed a whirlwind signing of CDs by Joan, with yours truly getting the remainder of his JAPW collection signed and my wife picking up signed copies of Dean Owens shiny silver disks.

Joan's music runs the gamut of rock, soul and punk. On her website Joan describes her music as being American R&B.

In retrospect Joan as Police Woman are probably the best live act I've seen this year and a band I'd recommend unreservedly to anyone. Go out and buy a copy of "To Survive" this Christmas. Essential listening.