Brad Spurgeon's Blog

NICE, France – Jonathan’s Live Music Pub is a mainstay Nice music joint, and Joe Danger is one of its longtime fixtures, playing and singing in a rotating shift with a couple of other musicians for nearly a decade or maybe more. I had heard about the bar first through Jonathan, who founded it and later opened Johnny’s Wine Bar, then through other people, notably a guy at the De Klomp the other night who said if I wanted to play, probably Joe Danger would let me do so on his set at Jonathan’s.

So it was that I went to Jonathan’s with the intent mostly of hearing this dangerous Joe, and seeing and checking out the vibe at this bastion of live music in Nice. It was a fascinating evening as the music starts at 11PM, and I arrived around 20 minutes before that to a nearly empty long, cave room with vaulted ceilings. And within 30 minutes the room was full and people were being refused at the door above.

Joe Danger Let’s Me Into His Set at Jonathan’s

Chock full of young regular locals coming to hear and sing along with Joe – who, by the way, told me he was from London, but told someone else he was from Austria, and could easily be from both – and also, what was amazing, was that all these people also came to socialize and talk to each other. The decibels of chatter were louder than the music decibels, but I could hear enough to realize Joe has a cool style and voice and guitar playing.

And then I made my approach, and he immediately accepted that I play some songs in his next set. He let me do three! And he sat up there near me, but not on the stage or behind the mic, and sang along, just because he was into it – nice break Joe!!!

Very definitely worth a visit to Jonathan’s if you’re passing through Nice….