Tonight we are back at Bannermans in Edinburgh for the start of Jizzy Pearl’s UK tour, but first up we have two support bands to watch and listen to.
First up are a band I have seen before, Silk Road from London. The boys kick things off with “Done it Again” from their Family of Four EP with its classic rock vibe. The band have a great singer in Bradley who never stopped moving all night, along with their mad bass player, Dan. We also get “Cold in the Middle” from the same EP with its up-tempo guitar and crashing drums, probably my favourite of the night. There are a couple from their self-titled EP as well tonight in the form of “Here with Me” & “A Thug Called Love” with its full on crunching guitar sound. They end a highly enjoyable set with last year’s single “Take You Home” with its more groove-laden intro of drums, guitar & bass before Bradley opens up, the track has a great instrumental middle section with the boys in fine form. The band have a classic rock vibe with some 70s feel with a modern twist. If you like classic rock then you will love these boys, do yourselves a favour and go check them out, great to listen to and watch live.
Next up, a band I’ve not seen before The Brink from Sheffield/Cambridgeshire who start us off tonight with last year’s single “Little Janie” and I can hear a harder edged Mike Tramp in Tom’s voice, loving this track I have to say with its classic late 80s vibe. The band are a joy to watch: all moving about and having fun as are the audience watching them. The guitar with its wah pedal intro heralds their stunning new single “Break These Chains” with its fantastic chorus section with both Lexi on lead guitar and Izzy Trixx on her Gibson SG rhythm guitar, both feeding off each other and Gaz on bass bouncing about. I am loving the sound and vibe coming from this band tonight as they “Break These Chains” before saying it’s all “Said & Done”.
You can see why Jizzy has them on tour with him as the vibe is all old school Love/Hate and White Lion but beefed up and really hits you and makes you smile. The band tear through a few more including “Take Me Away”, “One Night Only” and end with “Don’t Count Me Out” which I certainly won’t. This really is a band to watch out for, they are the complete package: they have the tunes, those chorus sections are excellent, they have the looks and they can play. Tom has a great voice, ably backed up by Lexi & Izzy on backing vocals. I’m looking forward to their debut album out soon, hopefully, go check them out and you will not be disappointed.
The main man now, Mr Jizzy Pearl with his now customary band in the form of Christian Kimmett on bass, Stevie R. Pierce on guitar and Mickey Richards on drums. The setlist tonight draws mainly from Wasted in America & Blackout in a Red Room and rightly so as both are classic albums from that excellent era of rock music. We get “Yucca Man” with its epic bass lines ably handled by Christian, one of my all-time favourite tracks by any band, along with “Straightjacket” and “She’s an Angel”. The man’s solo stuff also gets an airing tonight with “High for an Eye” and the simply superb “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” from last year’s stunning album All You Need is Soul. You cannot have a Jizzy show without the classics in the form of “Blackout in a Red Room”, “Wasted in America” along with “Mary Jane” & “Don’t Fuck with Me” and who would?
I have said it before and will again, the man’s voice is getting better and better ageing like a fine malt whisky; it’s rough around the edges as it should be with a fine, smooth sound on the ears. All the old songs stand the test of time with no sign of stagnation along with his new material which is every bit as good as the Love/Hate material if not better. Certainly, last year’s album is just on a different level and I am certain will become a classic to rival Blackout… & Wasted…
A mention for the band, who more than support Jizzy, it’s more of a family than a band. Christian on bass handles all those tricky bass lines with optimum ease, Stevie is a brilliant guitarist and singer in his own right and what can I say about Mickey but fantastic tonight on drums; I thought the drumming tonight was tight and sharp and the sound was spot on. I am looking forward to the acoustic tour in a few weeks with much anticipation, I urge everyone to go see the man play, whether electric or acoustic as you will sing, jump about and leave with a guaranteed smile on your face. A simply stunning setlist tonight and I head home a happy man.
Setlist:
- The Boozer
- Tumbleweed
- Yucca Man
- High for an Eye
- Spit
- Fuel to Run
- Cream
- Mary Jane
- Straightjacket
- Don’t Fuck with Me
- You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
- She’s an Angel
- Evil Twin
- Wasted in America
- Why Do You Think They Call it Dope
- Blackout in a Red Room
Photos by Gary Cooper
Jizzy Pearl: official | facebook
The Brink: facebook | twitter | soundcloud
Silk Road: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | youtube
