Big Joanie @ Sunset Tavern

Saturday, March 25th • 9 pm

Big Joanie emerged in London a decade ago, inspired by punk and indie rock, creating a musical brew they describe as “similar to the Ronettes filtered through ’80s DIY and riot grrrl with a sprinkling of dashikis.” “We started this band because we wanted to be in a band where we can just be Black girls who are weirdos, and now we can,” Chardine Taylor-Stone explained about the genesis of Big Joanie, adding, “It’s about creating new norms and we’re really proud to have created those spaces.”

On their recently issued second album, Back Home (released on Pacific Northwest-based label Kill Rock Stars), Stephanie Phillips (guitar), Estella Adeyeri (bass), and Taylor-Stone (drums) display a more tuneful side in comparison to the raw dissonance of 2018’s Sistahs, as in the album’s two versions of “In My Arms,” one of which is bright indie rock, the other drawing on those “Be My Baby” drumbeats and dreamy girl group pop. Not that they don’t still have an edge, as you can hear in the big, churning sound of “Happier Still” and the brisk “Taut.” Lucky for us they’re making a Seattle stop on their first US tour.

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