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.

Bringing the 80s Brimstone to 2013

IT was the decade that style forgot; a decade of floppy fringes, stupid baggy trousers, Boy George immitators and balaclavas were de rigeur for various terrorists alphabet soup named organisations. Amidst these fashion abominations rock 'n' roll rose, defiant: cocking its collection nose at these weaklings.

Despite the hard rock and metal's own fashion abominations (Poison, Motley Crue amongst others spring to mind) the music and the attitude was an antidote to the miserable gets into 'New Romance' and the perfect antibiotic to the destruction of industry by Thatcher and her ilk.

In 2013 we no longer have the Cold War politics of Reagan and Thatcher, but we do have the 'terrorist threat'. We don't have Thatcher, but we do have Tories in de facto control and selling off the country's assets like the Royal Mail.

Agree or disagree with the politics it feels that the time is ripe for the hard rockers and metalheads to rise again; cut-off denims, high tops and bullet belts are long overdue a return as fashion items and there is a need of a musical landcape on the scene that encompasses thrash, glam and all the glitterati attitude that bands in the 80s adopted.

Amidst the local rising stars Maverick seem to have been caught in a time warp, as if transported from the era of Cinderella, Faster Pussycat and Guns 'n' Roses to 2013. And that is no bad thing.

Their five-track ep released earlier this year (we're catching up on a backlog of reviews) Maverick make a statement of intent; a statement that this is our way, this is the 80s way, hop on the rollercoaster or piss off.

This is music that makes you want to cruise in the car, volume cranked and the wild abandon that comes with knowing a beer and a gig is a few short minutes away from you.

This is music that transports you to an era when this type of rock was pure escapism. And we need that now just as we did in the 80s.

That's not to say that this ep is flawless. While self-titled opener Maverick and closing track Easy Come Easy Go are tremendous songs, at times the production and mix seem a bit off. The cymbals are very priominent at the expense of the bottom end at times. Singer Davey Balfour has a unique voice, but needs to move to having his own identity, because the echoes of Tom Keifer are a little too noticeable.

Lyrics are a little too misogynistic at times - one of the more distasteful side of 80s rock that we should have moved on from.

Set those issues aside and put simply these are five tracks that are fun. Songs you can enjoy rocking out to.

With the statement of intent of 'Maverick' first to assault your aural senses with lead solos and the defiant cry "Stop us if you Dare" it is a quick rampage through the sleaze of 'Cat Got Your Tongue", the challenge to Satan on 'Helfire & Brimstone' before 'Top Heavy' punishes and 'Easy Come, Easy Go' rounds things up with a more considered attitude.

Already Maverick have carved out a place on Northern Ireland's live circuit, delighting fans who remember the 80s and those discovering the music of the era for the first time.

This is a collection of five songs that are a foundation to build upon for live shows and what we sincerely hope will be more releases.

Yep - as they say: "Fists in the air!"