By James Queralt
Since Oxford venue The Cellar was ‘saved’ from being transformed into a retail space by a petition containing over 13,000 signatures last year, it has continued to uphold its reputation not only as the home of some of Oxford’s most well-respected alternative club nights, but also as a hotbed for burgeoning musical talent from across the country. Last week, it was the turn of Camden-based indie four-piece Judas who, having previously appeared at Truck, Isle of Wight, and Reading and Leeds festival – including a main stage slot at the latter – were looking to leave their stamp on the cult venue. Prior to the gig, I learned that Judas had once been described by a reviewer as “better than U2.” With my expectations now naturally high – especially after energetic, charismatic support band Jordan Allen had successfully got the crowd going – I was keen to see to what extent that reviewer’s claims were true. Was it to be vintage, Joshua Treeera U2? Or would it be more akin to the, er, iTunes giveaway U2 of recent times? Fingers crossed for the former. Offstage, Judas come across as simply a group of mates who were on the side of not taking life too seriously. Their relaxed, jovial dynamic is often on show in interviews – where they regularly attempt to lead the interviewer to believe they all met on Tinder or Grindr. So it struck me when it became apparent that their onstage persona was markedly different. As they slowly eased themselves into the set, the intense levels of focus of each band member became apparent. Where support band Jordan Allen were never afraid to break down the invisible barrier between audience and performer, Judas, initially, sought to keep that barrier intact. This is not a criticism; rather, this was reflective of a band which is serious about its music, and determined to get it right on the night. After the first few songs, Judas were able to relax into their set a bit more as front-man John Clancy announced a new one, before proceeding to drop the opening chords to latest single ‘Big Mouth.’ This was where the crowd, already mostly familiar with the track, really sprang into life. The undeniably catchy hook – “take it all back if I could, you know I would” – swirled around the crowd and, eventually, achieved a level of rapture which resulted in the band’s name being chanted by their fans. Via a slower track – dedicated to a fan in attendance tonight who, according to Clancy, “is at all our shows and even let us crash at his gaffe once” – they found their way to 2016’s ‘Call Me,’ a track chronicling the struggles of giving out your phone number on a night out then spending the next day eagerly awaiting contact: “the landline was a bad shout, now I’m on house arrest.” Presumably, it’s this one which draws the U2 comparisons, with a jangly riff surely inspired by the Irish band’s early hit ‘With or Without You.’ The similarities only really go this far, however, as the twang with which Clancy tells his tales of youthful struggles bears more resemblance to the likes of Alex Turner. Being from Liverpool, Clancy probably won’t appreciate me writing that. One of the highlights of the set was closing track ‘Ceasefire,’ a really well-polished, well-produced indie earworm which had the audience almost going through the ceiling (which, if you know Cellar and its boxed-in nature, you’ll know is easily done). Judas were next travelling to Leicester the next morning, Clancy informed me, where their UK tour will also be culminating at 110 Above Festival in August. A young U2 appeared at Leicester’s De Montfort Hall back in 1982, perhaps a set of footsteps to follow for this promising young indie band. Just please don’t add stuff to my iTunes account without my permission when you do get big, ok guys.