The latest music project by Jersey singer-songwriter Jono Le Blancq, aka Johnny Moth, sees him collaborating with fellow musician Ian Tomkins – a “genius”. He spoke to TOM OGG about “creating perfect music for the 12 months of summer”
THE name “Johnny Moth” is one that will be instantly recognisable to anyone familiar with the Island’s music scene.
And this despite the fact that the band from which singer-songwriter Johnny Le Blancq adopted his famous pseudonym lasted for fewer live performances than there are strings on the average acoustic guitar.
“We formed The Moths way back in the dark days of Britpop,” says Jersey-born Johnny, known as Jono, chatting earlier this week.
“We hit the Island with a vigorous blast of 1960s garage punk, performed two gigs – and then we were gone.”
Despite such a short-lived start, Jono has subsequently made a name for himself as one of the most original and interesting musical voices in Jersey, having fronted or taken part in such bands and musical projects as The Cryptics, The Deadbeats, The Meatballs and Christopher and Jonathan, the latter a partnership with “local legend” Chris Wackrow. And this in addition to his solo work as Johnny Moth.
It is a truly eclectic output and one that, in the words of Jono, “runs the gamut from psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll to electro-pop cabaret music”.
And now his latest project sees Jono collaborating with his long-time friend and fellow musician Ian Tomkins, who is known professionally as I C Tomkins, and who has been a stalwart of the local music scene for as many decades as Jono.
To date, the pair have released two gorgeous singles, Neon Lights and All We Need (Is the Two of Us), the former a regular on the BBC Introducing playlist. A third single, Mercy Mercy Someone, is due for release on Friday.
“We have enough songs in the bank to keep up regular releases right into next year,” says Jono. “Neon Lights and All We Need (Is the Two of Us) are both on Spotify and they’re doing reasonably well. Surprisingly, they’re performing particularly well in Malaysia and Indonesia, at least according to the stats. Maybe a tour of the Far East is on the cards.
“But, for us, it’s mostly about making music for the pure fun of it. We both write music all the time, together and separately, and we will keep doing that regardless of any success.”
Discussing their distinctive sound, Jono describes it as “on the sunny side of pop”.
“It is perfect music for the 12 months of summer,” he says. “We basically bonded over our shared love of the Beach Boys’ Sunflower album, which is an incredible record. We are always trying to recreate the feeling of that particular album with the songs we create.
“Ian is the musician of the partnership, playing guitar, sitar and synths. He is Brian Wilson and I’m Mike Love in that he’s the musical genius, crafting amazing tunes from his sandbox, while I try to write the catchiest melodies I can think of in order to turn the songs into – minor – hits.
“I’m also a terrible dancer like Mike Love, although, thankfully, I’m not bald, yet.”
The partnership initially came about after Ian forwarded a number of self-penned songs to Jono and asked his friend to add backing vocals.
“The songs were right up my street in terms of the sort of music that I love,” recalls Jono. “Then Ian sent me some music, without vocals, just to see what I could come up with, and I found it suited my lyric and singing style perfectly. And the songs developed from there.”
The result is 1960s-esque sunshine pop, with additional backing vocals from Brian Andrade adding to the dreamy vibe (“Brian added an extra sprinkling of fairy dust onto the songs”).
“We’ve recorded enough music for an album but, as long as the hits keep coming, we’ll stick to singles for the time being,” says Jono. “It’s good to treat it as an art piece with the promotional videos and everything else that goes with it. Write it, put it out and move on.”
It was 1999 when Jono and Ian first became acquainted. The latter was playing a gig with his band, De Nova, in the Sable d’Or pub in St Ouen’s Bay (now long since closed) and Jono found himself wowed by the winning combination of rock and blues.
“They genuinely blew my mind – it was like watching Canned Heat in their prime,” he says. “De Nova mixed obscure Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker tunes with incredible original songs, and all played by a really hip-looking bunch of guys.
“They were completely out of sorts with the late ‘90s music scene, which is why they were so inspiring. It was blues music with a beat and some really wild live shows. It definitely inspired me to get a band together of my own.”
The band in question would become The Deadbeats, who thankfully enjoyed a rather longer shelf life than The Moths, and this in turn led to the formation of Jono’s longest-running ensemble: The Cryptics.
“My favourite Cryptics gig outside of Jersey would have to be when we played the Mondo Bizarro in Rennes,” he says. “It was a great punk/rock ‘n’ roll club and we supported a legendary American band called The Cynics. It was a rammed venue and we won the crowd over by covering a Jacques Dutronc song, Les Cactus. He was a huge star in the ‘60s, and he’s still massive now, and we had everyone singing along. It was a really fun night.
“I’ve played hundreds of gigs over the years and I’ve enjoyed every single one of them, even if no one else has. But I’m not a nostalgia freak. I don’t tend to dwell on stuff I’ve done. I’d rather dwell on the stuff that I’m going to do.”
Born and raised “in the wilds of St Ouen with a waning gibbous moon in the night sky”, Jono enjoyed growing up in Jersey, especially exploring the “quiet spooky parts of the Island”.
“I liked the dolmens and the beaches on the north coast, and I still do,” he says. “You definitely feel a Wicker Man vibe in certain places – and I’m certainly on the side of the Islanders in that film.”
It was as a teenager that Jono first developed his obsessive love for music.
“I’ve been on the hunt for new sounds ever since. I get influenced by everything, whether it’s a 1980s synthpop tune or a private pressing of a single by a local cabaret star, usually found at a charity shop. Whatever it is, an element will always find its way into my home recordings.”
The home recordings in question see Jono playing synths, Melodica and harmonica, in addition to his trademark light-as-a-feather vocals.
“Brian Wilson is probably the biggest influence on my music, mostly for the way he recorded,” he says. “He would record songs in sections using weird combinations of instruments, which is how I like to work.
“I’m also a big fan of Joe Meek [Meek was an English producer and songwriter in the 1960s who recorded chart-topping singles in his third-floor London flat]. I love the crazy experimental way that Meek recorded music in his flat – he was a real genius. But I find inspiration everywhere.”
Asked about his thoughts on the current local live scene, Jono replies: “The live scene over here ebbs and flows but it never dies. Musicians always find a way to get their music out there. And there seems to be a never-ending stream of young bands arriving on the scene.
“There are lots of people putting on good shows, notably Rat City Promotions, who put on live gigs all through the year with both local and overseas bands. And then there’s the awesome Bergefest festival – everything they do is boss. Paul Sharkey of Island Music has been putting on his ‘Island Music Presents’ events featuring some legendary acts and showcasing young local musicians. He is very supportive of upcoming talent over here – a real class act.
“The other notable event, of course, is the Fest in the West, which is hosted by local fuzz rockers Without Captain. There is always a decent line-up for that one. There is always something happening over here, sometimes in unexpected places – you just need to know where to look.”
When it comes to local venues, Jono singles out the Blue Note in St Helier as his personal favourite in which to perform.
“I always like playing there. It’s great fun: a friendly crowd, a sticky floor – what’s not to love?
“Personally, I’d love for the old cabaret venues to come back,” he adds. “The Tartan Bar, Behans, Caesar’s Palace, The New Mediterranean – all long since demolished. Although I’d only want them to return if we could get artistes of the calibre of Dukes and Lee or Jimmy Mac performing. No rock music.”
*Neon Lights and All We Need (Is the Two of Us) are available now on YouTube and on I C Tomkins’ Spotify page. Mercy Mercy Someone will be released on Friday 8 August
*To hear Johnny Moth’s solo work and other collaborations, visit johnnymoth.bandcamp.com or his YouTube channel
