Mojo GoGo

Quite how a sound as big as what Mojo Gogo have, came out of a little town like Donegal is beyond us. These lads are clever, and have rightly generated a significant buzz since they formed in November 2010, having already graced the stage with The Enemy and Horslips and sneaked on to the cover of Hot Press. The lads have been getting their due, and it’s easy to see why. The two most current tracks offered up by Mojo Gogo are simply sumptuous.

Romance In The Lie will for many take it cues from Two Door Cinema club. These comparisons are not completely unfounded, especially at the beginning of the track which features a twin guitar riff that for us is more Red Neck Manifesto but at this stage of the track, its hard to deny there are similarities. What follows absolutely boots that notion out the window, as along comes something that has much larger testis than Two Door Cinema Club will ever have. Mojo just sound bigger and brasher, and we love that. The vocals are bloody good, carrying the melody to a pitch but having enough roughness around the edges to give it some kick. The guitars show a good understanding of dynamics and have some tasty tricks up their sleeves, which makes Mojo sound a lot more grown up than their contemporaries. The drums are a strong guiding hand, shaking up the track at the perfect moments so it never stagnates. The overall product is a busty babe.

Trigger again draws some elements from Math Rock, notably the main riff behind the chorus, which is massive. The precursor to this are some well thought out licks, with crisp harmonics offering depth and character. Dynamics again play an active role, so it’s no surprise that Mojo have garnered a reputation for putting on a breathtaking live show. (Hot Press likened them to a cross over Springsteen’s E Street Band and The Clash, what more needs said?!?) Backing vocals have a slightly bigger part in Trigger, and do their job as all good backing does, effectively and unobtrusively. The track is well built, and just like Romance In The Lie delivers in quality from start to finish.

Mojo have recently recorded in the legendary Grouse Lodge recorded studios (good enough for Stereophonics, R.E.M, Bloc Party and eh, Michael Jackson…) and anticipation of the new material abounds. This band have come so far so quick, from their original clean crisp offerings to the newer ballsier stuff, you just get the feeling that something truly massive is waiting to explode out of their heads via some amps and mics, leaving any passers-by covered in a big load of sticky Mojo goodness. If we had any knickers left (touring AND whoaring remember), we’d be creaming them with excitement about the undeniable promise and potential of Mojo Gogo. - Touring and Whoaring Magazine

It’s very rare that you hear of an Irish unsigned act signing on the dotted line these days. Well, let’s highlight the good news for Donegal based indie quartet Mojo Gogo, who have just signed a record deal with Manchester independent label Leverage Records. Music Scene would like to congratulate the guys on their news and wish them the very best in the future. Oh, and you might aswell click here to download some of their fine tunage. Not only that, but Mojo Gogo will also be hitting Whelans in Dublin on April 24th 2012 as well as The Mercantile in Dublin on June 3rd 2012. - MusicScene

A band with which big things are expected of in 2012, Mojo GoGo are currently hoping to live up to that ominous title of ‘Next Big Thing’. Any band who can boast support slots with the likes of Ash and Horslips must be worthy of some of this hype, and their single ‘Trigger’ (available for free download) goes some way to corroborate this.

The track itself is an echoey and energetic guitar-laden breakup song. Despite the downbeat subject matter, the song never sinks to the depths of despair and the simple Editors-style guitar with snappy drumming and an Arctic Monkeys-sounding bass and guitar combination undercutting the lot makes this a group that I am looking forward to hearing a lot more of. It wouldn’t be my favourite song of theirs (Prison Shoes), but is still one which is well worth listening to. In terms of the ‘Next Big Thing’ title, it’s a case of a lot done, more to do, but with the talent on show with this single and their impressive live act, Mojo GoGo will be ones to watch this year.

The Single ‘Trigger’ can be downloaded for free from www.mojo-gogo.com - Goldenplec

MOJO GOGO

In the quickest success story we’ve witnessed in aeons, Donegal indie peddlers Mojo Gogo found themselves on the cover of Hot Press last year, having made it to the finals of the Arthur’s Day ‘Play On The Day’ competition within months of getting together. Dealing in a uniquely chart-friendly brand of math rock, the Derry-based trio have since become famed for a raucous live show fitting of their musical heroes, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

Listen: to the a year’s worth of material at www.mojo-gogo.com.

See: them live at Bound For Boston, Derry (March 10); The Retro Bar, Portrush, (January 14); NUI Arts Ball, Galway (February 15); An Grianan, Donegal (March 16); Sweeney’s, Dublin (24) and the Mercantile, Dublin (25). - Hotpress Magazine

One of the most promising Northern bands to emerge in years have a simple message for the nation. “We’ll play anywhere,” says frontman Niki Pollock. “We’ll take anything that’s going.”

He’s not joking. We meet Mojo Gogo in a windswept Clontarf, as they finish one of their first major photoshoots. Part Donegal, part Derry band, they’re now claimed by both towns (a sure sign they’ve got what it takes). Showing plenty of ambition, they’re well prepared to venture away from the local scene. But that brings the harsh logistics of travelling. When we finish up, they’re immediately Derry-bound.

“We’ve spent January through June living on Bus Éireann buses,” Niki confesses. “Travelling up and down the country a couple of times a week. A couple of times a day on some occasions!” As is their wont, the other lads are quick to chime in. Straight-talking lead guitarist Paul Rodgers (another good rock name) sums up the tough existence of a new band in 2011. “We’re spending more money than we’re making,” he sighs. Niki agrees. “That’s it. The dole in one hand, a Bus Éireann ticket in the other. But we’re not complaining. We really believe you get what you put in.”

They ended up sleeping outside Busáras one night. “Apparently, there was a homeless guy trying to lie down beside me for heat,” Niki laughs. “I don’t remember that at all, the boys told me the day after.” Such is the glamorous life of a rising indie band. Living the dream. Still, even a short chat with the lads confirms that they have serious drive. The long-term hopes lie on a grander scale.

Niki: “The Playboy Mansion will be my house! We want that whole lifestyle! (laughs). I was reading a rock magazine with this big story about David Lee Roth partying for three days at the Playboy Mansion. He invited Keith Moon along, as well as a photographer. They just partied whilst the photographer was standing there taking pictures of it all. They called it Project Mojo Gogo.”

From those, um, lofty ambitions, Mojo Gogo began life as a way of getting some extra credit at North West Regional College. Coursework brought this motley Northern crew together.

“It was meant to be a college project,” says Niki. “Myself and [bassist] Keelin were supposed to get a band together to be assessed. They said we could do it as a two-piece but we thought, even if we get a drummer in, we can do a couple of covers. So that was Jordan. And then we brought Paul in on guitar. We just started writing one original song and then it snowballed.”

Immediately coining a sound halfway between prime-era Razorlight and recent Two Door Cinema Club (plenty of hooks, jerky guitars, winning chorus after winning chorus), they stirred things up from the get-go. “People ask what the original scene in Donegal is like and we say, ‘Well, there is none’,” says Niki. “Everybody wanted to try it, but because we’ve been successful in Derry, we now find there’s several bands back home who are doing it too. That’s great.”

Mojo Gogo’s live show is already the stuff of minor legend and one reason why they did so damn well in the Play On The Day competition, which they say has been a career highlight to date. Jordan sets out their stall. “Our thing is, ‘Let’s play the show of our lives’. Give it your all, put your whole heart into it,” he says. “Winning the regional final for the North was unbelievable. I can’t really describe how good it was. We went crazy onstage and came off bucketing sweat and panting for our breath.”

“We pride ourselves on our live energy,” Keelin adds. “It’s not put on either, it’s just how we feel.”

Niki: “You take three or four changes of clothes to a gig because you end up soaking. Even if there’s only three people at a gig, we’re still jumping around, just in case someone walks in the door. Plus, if I’m hitting bum notes when I jump about, at least I have an excuse!!”

That level of commitment has bred similar stirrings in their nascent fanbase. “I googled us the other day,” says Jordan. “I clicked a link and found loads of people sharing our EP. People from all over the place, Australia, Japan... I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. And now we have this Japanese girl who keeps putting complimentary stuff up on Twitter...” Closer to home, a young Irish lad was so taken with the Mojo Gogo sound that he uploaded his own original tune (dealing with Leaving Cert woes) to YouTube. Jordan elaborates: “The guy said he wrote his first song after hearing us on the radio. We were all so chuffed. The fact we’ve inspired somebody to write, it’s kinda a big deal for us.”

We’ve had a couple of people tell us that what we’re doing is really inspiring,” concludes Niki. “That’s what it’s all about.”
- Hotpress Magazine

Verdict: 9/10

Coming from overseas (somewhere) is MOJO GOGO, a band that has an indie rock groove to it that is quite contagious. Cheats, Chicks & Powders is the band’s second EP, and a short one at that. Only three tracks in length (and around 10.5 minutes), this is very much a tease. Blending math rock with the indie punk styles of several Paper & Plastick bands, MOJO GOGO easily get your attention right off the bat with “Romance In The Lie”. While all three of these tracks are definitely great diamonds in the rough, it would have to be the final one that deserves the most attention. “Lust” is more laid back than the others, and has a “hey, man, chill” smooth sound to it that is undeniable. Cheats, Chicks & Powders is a very pleasant surprise from a band we should all be looking into. – by Nathaniel Lay - Lexington Music Press

Verdict: 9/10

Coming from overseas (somewhere) is MOJO GOGO, a band that has an indie rock groove to it that is quite contagious. Cheats, Chicks & Powders is the band’s second EP, and a short one at that. Only three tracks in length (and around 10.5 minutes), this is very much a tease. Blending math rock with the indie punk styles of several Paper & Plastick bands, MOJO GOGO easily get your attention right off the bat with “Romance In The Lie”. While all three of these tracks are definitely great diamonds in the rough, it would have to be the final one that deserves the most attention. “Lust” is more laid back than the others, and has a “hey, man, chill” smooth sound to it that is undeniable. Cheats, Chicks & Powders is a very pleasant surprise from a band we should all be looking into. – by Nathaniel Lay - Lexington Music Press