After 8 days on the road, Katy J Pearson’s double decker bus rolls into Plymouth ahead of the final show of her UK tour.
Tonight, The Junction on Mutley Plain plays host to this incredible Americana/Pop/Country singer songwriter who dazzled her fans with a sublime debut album released in the depths of the Covid pandemic. ‘Return’ was the album in question and comprising 10 tracks, it’s clear that Katy adheres to the ‘quality over quantity’ ethos as each track is a bonafide hit in the making.
Refreshed after a night drive from Southampton in the wee small hours, I caught up with Katy at the merchandise stand as she was busying herself, unfolding t-shirts and tote bags. I was sad to see there were no 7” singles left owing to an unprecedented demand at earlier dates on the tour and due to delays caused by Brexit (thanks to all the ‘Brexiteer’ morons) she was left high and dry, unable to satisfy demand.
I met Katy briefly at Boardmasters Festival in August, she had just finished an interview with a fellow journalist and I chatted to her about her set and how it felt to be back out there playing in front of a real audience again? She said that it was quite overwhelming but, once you get back into it, it’s hard to remember what it was like when none of it was possible at all.
Brighton based post punk femme outfit Lime Garden opened the show, their tracks ranged from edgy toe tappers to all out disco tinged glam stompers. The band looked comfortable on stage, I heard some great guitar melodies and tight bass lines that helped keep the ship heading in the right direction. The singer had a Korg mini keyboard that was put to good use on the final track 'Pulp'.
I caught up with them after their set and they said that they’d really enjoyed the tour with Katy and that they had all been well looked after. I’m unsure if they were sharing the same tour bus as Katy or whether she preferred to travel alone (owing to her new found superstar status). They admitted that this was the first time they had ventured to Plymouth but were pleasantly surprised at the turnout on a Wednesday night. Had they have visited Plymouth before, they'd have realised that not much happens on a September midweek night so the thought of a couple of live bands playing in town was something to be excited about.
After a short break to rearrange the layout, Katy and her band took to the stage with the bass player encountering a dodgy guitar strap, leaving him to rattle through the track in an awkward looking kneeling position, the sound engineer jumped on stage to assist but despite his efforts, he remained on the floor until he had chance to inspect the damage properly.
After a new strap was located, the bass player was deemed ‘match fit’ and the show went on.
It was clear to see from the get go that Katy has a phenomenal band behind her, a keyboard player, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist/bongo player, drummer and of course the bass player with a dodgy strap.
‘Beautiful Soul’ saw a couple of dancers move from the sidelines to the front area which resulted in a huge smile on Katy’s face, this clearly had a domino effect on the rest of the audience as from that point on, the whole room was up and dancing, I even saw movement in the bar!
Katy explained that the bovine related video for her track ‘Miracle’, was filmed in torquay of all places, I chatted to the Robert Pearson after the show (who happens to be Katy’s brother) and he told me that the video was meant to be filmed in North Devon but owing to an issue securing a boat, they switched the filming location to Torquay instead. It was directed by Joe Lycett, I’m unsure if he was referring to the comedian and TV panel show regular Joe Lycett or not, I’ll dig deeper and try to find out more!
Katy introduced a new track called ‘Alligator’, which was a much grungier offering than her previous material, I asked myself whether this heralded a change in her musical direction with its cutting rhythms and dark undercurrent, accentuated with Katy's unique and immense vocals, I guess only time will tell.
‘On The Road’ featured some impressive guitar skills, the track sounded so polished, rounded and complete, it was a joy to see it performed live in such an intimate setting. The track closed with a rousing instrumental verse that had the whole room up and dancing. ‘Fix Me Up’ followed this and did nothing to give the dancers a break….by the looks of things, there were going to be some sore feet the next day.
Katy closed the show with the opening track ‘Tonight’ from her debut album, which is another banger from a collection of, well, more bangers! If you are yet to hear the album, go and check it out on any of the streaming platforms and once you have heard it, go and buy a copy for yourself, you’ll be so glad you did.
I caught up with Katy after the show to congratulate her on a job well done, I asked about other shows and she said that she has a slot at End of the Road Festival which takes place from 2 - 5 September. She will also be heading over to Spain to take part in 3 shows presented by Estrella, these are showcase events that will be taking place in major Spanish cities, check her socials for more info on these.
This was a tremendous show and a great way to finish off her mini tour of the UK, the band sounded and looked so good, there was some great communication and energy on stage and this paid off as it was one of the best intimate gigs I've been to in a while. Katy J Pearson has made her mark on her fans, I can only see the road looking very rosy from here on in.
Steve Muscutt
PS. I may have made the bit about a tour bus up at the start.