Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate - London Review

Just when I think that I have caught up with the COVID-19 gig backlog, along comes another long-postponed show to remind me that it still exists. Having ticked one off last night, I think that it is only Orphaned Land left - which is currently scheduled to take place in January. As was the case with last night's show, though, Orphaned Land is a show for which I had my original ticket refunded when a previous proposed date did not work - and then since re-bought a ticket when it was postponed again. It is strange to think that the backlog is still not totally clear, but hopefully by January it will be - and it was great to finally tick off Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate at The Underworld in Camden last night. Love/Hate are not a band that I am hugely familiar with, but I know both 1990's Blackout in the Red Room and 1992's Wasted in America well enough. They were one of those bands who hit at the very tail end of the hair metal scene, but they found some success - particularly here in the UK where they had two Top 30 albums and one Top 40 single - thanks to their hard-hitting and gritty sound. Love/Hate were certainly closer in spirit to a band like Skid Row than they were to Poison, and their heavier take on the Sunset Strip sound did gain the band some notoriety. Love/Hate as a genuine band have not really existed for a number of years at this point, but their frontman Jizzy Pearl, who also currently sings for Quiet Riot and has had stints with the likes of L.A. Guns and Ratt, has kept the name alive using a number of different musicians. Sometimes it is not clear whether Pearl is operating as a solo artist or as a member of Love/Hate - but either way he is the only one keeping the Love/Hate flag flying. He even released a new Love/Hate album last year, Hell, CA, which was either the seventh Love/Hate album or the first Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate album depending on how you look at it. Bands from the hair metal world often put on strong shows, and the UK has always had a love for the genre - particularly those slightly heavier bands. Skid Row always get a huge amount of love when they tour over here, despite perhaps not getting as much at home in the US these days, and I was interested to see what reaction Love/Hate would receive. The Underworld is always a great place to watch bands, too. From hating the venue at first, it has since become one of my favourites in the capital. It is packed full of character, and the atmosphere within the room is generally excellent. Bands often sound great there, too, and it seems to have been Pearl's London venue of choice for a number of years. The rest of the short UK tour covered some venues in more out of the way places, save for Edinburgh, so it was probably nice for Pearl to get back into a city to close out the trek. The current version of Love/Hate are made up of guitarist Stevie Pearce and bassist Christian Kimmett, who both contributed to Hell, CA, as well as drummer Charles Evans. None of the bandmembers were name-checked by Pearl, which is always a bit poor in my opinion, but they were tight and backed him nicely - who was clearly the star of the show.

By the time Love/Hate hit the stage the place was busy, but it took a while to fill up. Those who arrived a bit later, though, certainly did not miss much when it came to the evening's openers, The Last Pirates, who were, frankly, dreadful. I do not like to put the boot in, and I am generally good at recognising when something is just not my thing rather than it just being bad, but The Last Pirates were, sadly, just bad. They did have to fight through some technical issues, which likely did not help, but technical issues do not lead to under-rehearsed songs, painfully lumpen drumming, and some of the worst guitar soloing I have heard for quite some time. The bass playing was pretty tight, but otherwise the rest of the band did not hit the mark. Their original material was very generic biker-esque hard rock, with few genuine hooks and guitar solos which went on for far to long without any meaning or structure, and a couple of covers which were thrown in only served to highlight the three-piece's limitations. Their version of The Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter was particularly painful, and those which were braving the band's set seemed to react to with a mixture of amusement and bemusement. I do not like to get too negative in these reviews, but sometimes you just have to be honest - and The Last Pirates were one of the worst live bands I have seen for many years, and it was a blessing when their 30 minute set came to a close.

It only took around 15 minutes to clear the stage before the Nuneaton-based three-piece Dig Lazarus took the stage and blew through an enjoyable 40 or so minutes of hard-hitting, grungy rock. The gap in quality between the two support acts was huge, and Dig Lazarus certainly made the crowd, which had grown larger by this point, forget about The Last Pirates. Whilst Dig Lazarus are not the sort of band that I would likely ever sit down and listen to at home, they came across well live - and they managed to elicit a bit of a reaction from the crowd. I thought that the crowd could have been a bit warmer to them in truth, but the band certainly helped to lift the atmosphere with their riff-driven songs and song vocal harmonies. For me, though, Dig Lazarus are a bit too rooted in the 1990s for me to ever truly become a fan. Their sound has no frills at all, and is very meat and potatoes in its execution. There was certainly plenty of energy coming from the stage, with the three musicians powering through the PA, but I would preferred a bit more of a melodic focus or a bit more interest instrumentally. There was very little instrumental work within the band's songs, and a few solos or lead-focused sections would have helped to shake up the formula somewhat. Given the lack of this diversity, after hearing the first handful of songs of the set it was pretty obvious what was going to follow. This did take the shine off my initial impression, which was a strong one, but I think, in fairness, the band are channelling a sound which is not one which I generally pay a huge amount of attention to. Dig Lazarus is a name that I had heard a few times, so it was good to finally get a chance to check them out. Those who like their rock music riff-based but without the anthemic touches of classic rock are likely to enjoy the band's stripped back sound - but they are perhaps a touch primal for me.

By the time that Love/Hate hit the stage the venue was pretty full. There were lots of die-hard fans in attendance, and Pearl set out to deliver - with a 17-song set that flew by in just over an hour. All but two of the songs played came from either Blackout in the Red Room or Wasted in America, and it was the title track of the latter which kicked things off. The tour was billed as a 'greatest hits' exercise, but I cannot imagine that Love/Hate are a band which make significant differences to their setlist year after year. Despite the band's set being on the short side for a headliner, the amount of material made up for it - and Pearl's performance was excellent. Vocally he has barely aged, and he sounded as unhinged on stage as he did on the band's old albums - and the musicians backing him up were tight and energetic. Given the anthemic nature of most of the songs, there was plenty of opportunity for the crowd to sing along. Yucca Man and Spit had plenty of chorus participation early on, but it was perhaps Cream which had everyone singing along the loudest - although the opening cut of Wasted in America nearly took the roof off. Pearl took a few opportunities to talk, but generally the set was one of all-out energy. Love/Hate always had a strong punk edge, and that came across during the band's performance. Kimmett's bass was high in the mix, driving everything, but the riffing of Pearce throughout was suitably sleazy - and his regular shredded soloing added some flash to the no-nonsense set. This punk edge was evident during the shout-along chorus of Tranquilizer, but Love/Hate were always a little more than just that - and there was some diversity as the set moved forward. The sole cut from Hell, CA, Wanna Be Somebody, introduced a bluesier edge to the set - and it showed that Pearl is continuing on the band's legacy nicely. It was a shame that a couple more from the new album were not included, as it would have been nice to shine a light on it, but this version of Love/Hate seem to be more about the 'hits' than the deeper cuts. It is easy to see why when the old favourites get such strong reactions, such as the surprisingly more laid back Don't Fuck with Me and the set's only genuine ballad in the melodic She's an Angel. Elsewhere, though, the ending portion of the set was typically in-your-face. Straightjacket and the mid-paced gang vocals of Evil Twin were all sung loudly by the crowd, but it was the somewhat funky Why Do You Think They Call It Dope? which received arguably the biggest reaction. Kimmett's busy bass playing held the whole thing together, and the shout-along chorus filled the busy room with its power. Clearly not one for encores, Pearl and the band then immediately launched into the closing anthem Blackout in the Red Room - which was also sung loudly by the crowd. It capped off what had been a fast and furious set perfectly, and the crowd certainly went away happy with their evening's entertainment. The setlist was:

Wasted in America

Yucca Man

Tumbleweed

Spit

Fuel to Roam

Cream

Spinning Wheel

One More Round

Tranquilizer

Mary Jane

Wanna Be Somebody

Don't Fuck with Me

Straightjacket

She's an Angel

Evil Twin

Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?

Blackout in the Red Room

Despite not being hugely familiar with Love/Hate's back catalogue, I had a great time with Pearl and his band last night. The set was one that just kicked off in a high gear and never really let up, and the band were tight - perfectly bringing those old songs to life. Whilst quite a few frontmen from the hair metal era have lost a lot of their power and swagger over the years, Pearl still sounds great - and he powered his way through the set with real venom. I can certainly see myself listening to the band more going forward, and if I get the opportunity to see them again in the future then I will take the chance.