JOHNNY HEALEY (JOHN)
Words Grant Moon
Photo Ed Townend
“Lots of two-piece bands fall into the trap of being quite bluesy,” says Johnny Healey of the amusingly named John, “whereas we’ve always had a punk, hardcore influence. I don’t want to just play power chords –I want to play nice, pretty chords with sevenths in and stuff, but with loads of overdrive, and really fast!”
His duo with drummer/vocalist John Newton, John are a force to be reckoned with. The pair met at college in London and bonded over bands they loved – Metz, Ceremony, Protomartyr, Earth, Isis, Fugazi – and soon started making noise in a room. John’s 2017 debut album God Speed In The National Limit and follow-up Out Here On The Fringes were powerful illustrations of their massive garage-y racket, while their arty twist endeared them to those hip types at BBC 6Music and The Guardian.