Maurading Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate storm Ahoghiill

ON the face of it the Jizzy Pearl's last outing under the Love/Hate monicker had the ingredients of a disaster, as he prepares for starting out with his stint with Quiet Riot - but that is without reckoning on the sheer force of Pearl's personality.

And, with Maverick opening for what singer Davey Balfour referred to as one of his favourite bands of all time it was an energetic night of sheer rockin' power.

Fresh from recording their début album - quite literally out of the studio only days - Maverick were suffering from fatigue from all corners. That didn't stop the band from delivering as they always do with dedication to their art.

Some older songs had been given a brush and clean-up after the studio and the new tweaks breathed fresh life into tunes such as Shackled and Cat Got Your Tongue. That didn't stop them giving an outing the old standard Top Heavy.

Despite the stresses and strains on their collective bodies Maverick managed to maintain an engaging stage presence, with easy movement and stage 'tricks' such as bassist and guitarist playing each others licks on the downstroke every bar of one track.



Picture courtesy of
Paul Wharton

Clear evidence then that the hot blood of each 80s and 90s band still pulses through Maverick's veins - expect much more from them in coming months.

The hot blood of heavy rockin' roll is something that courses through each vein of Jizzy Pearl's body. This was a performance of pure charisma from Pearl.

Kicking off with the full throttle Hanging You Out To Dry from the recently released mini-album Crucified, the entire band were intent on simply rocking hell out of the County Antrim venue.

From Tranquiliser to Wasted in America it was a romp through Love/Hate's hits, while Pearl proved that he was as engaging a front man as he is a tremendous singer. From admitting struggling with how to pronounce Ahoghill through to a shout out for the 'Belfast Beer Bus' the banter and craic was strong.

Back into the set was Don't Fuck With Me, which Pearl admitted it had been brought back as a result of numerous fan requests.

Wrapping things off with an encore including a frenetic cover of Ace of Spades and Blackout In The Red Room Pearl can be confident that whatever the wrangles and tussles with former band mates he has kicked off a March tour with verve and definitive versions of songs he put his stamp on in the 90s.

With Pearl off to sign autographs and have his picture taken with fans it seemed appropriate that amongst the songs playing over the house PA was Quiet Riot's anthem 'Bang Yer Head' as it is from here that he will close this chapter on Love/Hate and bring his unique talent to bear on yet more people.