The split of The Jonas Brothers resulted in Kevin becoming a mainstay of reality television and Nick launching a mildly successful solo career with a sideline in topless photoshoots. Now we turn to Joe. Quietly biding his time after a solo record during his Jonas Brothers years didn’t exactly set the world alight, Joe suddenly came back with a bang this month with the launch of his brand new band DNCE and their incredibly fun, funky single ‘Cake By The Ocean’
Live the fun lived up to that crazy video. Although the Neon Gold / New Shapes showcase was packed full of must see acts like Machineheart and Phoebe Ryan, DNCE brought the energy and the fun to an all time high that night. We were initially afraid that the gig would be just full of Jonas fan girls, but DNCE are not just Joe Jonas and three faceless musicians.
Instead this is a band that just so happens to have a Jonas as the front man. The super stylist Jin Joo Lee cuts a striking look on stage as guitarist, regular Jonas Brothers collaborator Jack Lawless is on drums, and most importantly DNCE have the gem that is Cole Whittle on bass who you might remember from Gaga favourites Semi Precious Weapons. In DNCE he very much fills the stage with his wild, colourful personality, cutting demented figures as he bounds across the stage with endless energy.
As for the music… ‘Cake By The Ocean’ is an incredible lead single. It’s got a brilliant chorus, is pretty daft and has done wonders in immediately establishing DNCE as ones to watch. We best described it to someone starting with the rather niche sentence… ‘Did you ever hear JC Chasez’ solo album?’ Other songs from their debut EP SWAAY such as the upbeat Maroon 5 like ‘Toothbrush’ and teen pop love song ‘Jinx’ prove this is an act, that doesn’t need any Jonas hype or even derision, it just has it’s own incredible potential.