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.

Jizzy's back rockin the Love/Hate way before heading off to pastures new

TO describe Jizzy Pearl's career as varied in terms of the acts he's been involved with is an understatement - but he is wrapping off the Love/Hate phase of his career with a mini-album and UK tour, which includes the Diamond Rock Club this coming Friday (March 7th).

The mini-album, Crucified, which for legal reasons is released under the title, Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate, is a mixture of the elements that made Pearl's Love/Hate career so successful, if often under-rated.

This summer Pearl will be taking over the vocal duties for Quiet Riot, but this is a suitable statement of what can be achieved by the man in terms of singing and song-writing.

Friday night's date at the Diamond will be the second date on the tour, which will see him through to a March 22nd date at Hard Rock Hell.

While many will harken after the days of Blackout in the Red Room and Wasted in America, they would be foolish to overlook Crucified.

From the off-set this incorporates the 80s snarl of Love/Hate with Hanging You Out To Dry, which in Pearl's own words is: "A song about the infamous Hollywood Sign stunt from the viewpoint of the Crucifee himself.

"The vibe is simple, I tried to get back to the start, a bunch of young kids banging out loud musical joy in a little room and the singer in the middle, one microphone, testifying to the World.”

It is a kick-ass, punkish slam that really is about "loud musical joy" before Sunny Day takes a different turn, with Pearls current partner. This has a really LA strip feel to it, an ode to love told with a shout of passion and subtle interludes to the full-on noise.

From good 'dates' to bad ones You're Making Me Nervous is all about when fantasy romance's go wrong, apparently told in the first person from experience. Clocking in at under three minutes, this is a sure fire favourite for those who revelled in the Love/Hate 90s style.

But the largely acoustic I Don't Want Your Baby - if given the proper time is a grower of an ironic ballad.

"“This is a twist on the traditional Power Ballad where the guy not only doesn’t get the girl, he doesn’t want the girl!" said Pearl. For all that this is still a strong song with tasty lead guitar lines and swirling organ sounds that would have been sure of MTV rotation had it been released in 1987.

Penultimate track Love Is All is perhaps one of the weakest tracks on the mini-album: while it is not a bad track per se, it nevertheless sits askance in this collection with its hippy-ish feel.

But it is the last song Too Late on Crucified that is the stand-out on the mini-album. Slow, swaggering, with a lead line wending its way around the vocals in the verses and building to a chorus, which sees Pearl use his experience to lend it the right amount of emphasis without spilling over the top.

Overall Crucified is an appropriate coda to Pearl's Love/Hate track record. Friday night is set to be a show not to be missed, even if only to lay to rest the Pearl incarnation of this iconic band for many who kept the hard rock flame alive in the dark days of grunge and synth filled 90s.