The Birmingham Barfly was relatively empty when female fronted rock band Remedy started the evening’s events and, as they played through their 70’s influenced classic rock with songs like ‘Priests & Preachers’ to the more jazz orientated ‘If You Were Me’, it is evident that they made a good support act for Pearl, their solid performance something not lost on the those that made the effort to attend.

Local band Rattlesnake Remedy were up next and, at least for the first couple of songs, they proved formidable. From there however it was donwhill with the music upstaged by the nonsensical between song ramblings of frontman Lee Stone. perhaps a few beers to many. Shaking the hands with everybody on the front row was a nice touch though. 

The venue was still, sadly, unbelievably quiet when Pearl took to the stage but, despite the lack of people she still  gave the performance everything from the moment the band started with ‘Rock Child’ to when it ended with Whore. Vocally shewas nothing short of suberb on the likes of ‘Love Pyre’, and ‘Check Out Charlie’, the latter showing a harder edge to her voice that worked equally as well as the gentler approach on ‘Mama’. 

People talk a lot about musicians having the X factor and charisma, well Pearl has it in abundance, confident and commanding with the experience of being a backing singer has paid off in abundance as she danced her way across the stage when not singing and handing out welcome praise for the band surrounding her, not unduly either given how good they were. Seeing Scott Ian rock out to songs like the amazing ‘Nobody’, and ‘Worth Defending’ was interesting given his thrashier roots, but his passion for music was obvious and as they finished up the evning with 'With Love’ and the aforementioned rockier ‘Whore’, on this evidence the crowd will surely be bigger the next time they hit town.

Darren Brushneen