And It Felt Just Like A Dream

On Thursday night, I went to see Katy J Pearson at the Trinity in Bristol. It's only my second gig of the year, living out in the sticks, family commitments and life being what it is meaning that the logistics of trying to get to a weekday gig are frequently insurmountable. So, a lot riding on this to be a memorable night but I had no doubt that it would be and I wasn't disappointed.

I used to go to the Trinity a fair bit when I lived in Bristol. It's a converted church, perfectly positioned on the edge of the city between Old Market and Easton, and holds many happy memories for me. I looked it up and my last visit was in October 2005, to see Four Tet, supported by A Hawk And A Hacksaw. It was a great night, all the more so in that I was there was Mrs. K and my friend Dave, who I've written about previously. How the time passes.

 

The Trinity's not really changed since those days, thankfully, and it was a sold out, 650-capacity gig, so it promised to be lively...and hot. My previous 2022 experience was seeing Madness in June, which was an outdoor gig, so it was surreal being back indoors with hundreds of people, all having a good time. I'd also forgotten that incredible mélange of body odour and Red Stripe beer that took me right back.

 

Getting away from work in Gloucestershire, a quick stop at home to get changed and refuel, a dash down the M4 and M32, then a failed attempt to park nearby before going to a multi-storey and hot footing to the Trinity meant that I only caught the second half of the first support act, Orbury Common. Visually, it was the typical set up of two blokes with laptops, kit and a couple of small portable TVs showing a collage of footage, but the sonically, the 15 or 20 minutes that I caught was great. So much so, that I hopped over to their Bandcamp page after the gig and will be posting about them separately sometime soon.

 

I'm used to gigs being a little less organised, with an uncertainty about when acts would be coming on. Not so these days, I guess: the set times were published on Twitter ahead of the gig and by Jiminy, they were pretty spot on. The second support was originally advertised as H. Hawkline, subsequently replaced by Daisy Capri aka Vanity Fairy, who couldn't have been more different. Playing to pre-programmed 70s/80s-inspired synthpop sounds, with a voice that evokes that era's Jimmy Somerville and the Bee Gees, and a suitably over the top wardrobe of kaftan, headscarf and sunglasses. It was thirty minutes of fun, fun, fun. It definitely had the desired effect: the crowd were suitably fired up by the time Vanity Fairy exited the stage and took up position at her merch stand.

 

After a short break, it was time for Katy J Pearson to take to the stage. Her six-piece band comprises twin guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, trumpet, saxophone and flute so it was a big, big sound from the start, launching into Take Back The Radio from her debut album, Return. This was actually the first KJP song I ever heard, in January of this year, albeit the Flying Mojito Bros Refrito mix that featured on the Heavenly Remixes compilation. From there, I bought - and have subsequently played to death - her second album, Sound Of The Morning. However, I held back from buying her previous album pre-gig, so that there would be a few songs that I would hear for the very first time that night.

This was immediately satisfied with second song, Beautiful Soul, also the second song on Return. There were three other songs from the debut: Miracle, Fix Me Up and Tonight; the wonderful thing - and a testament to the songwriting and performance - is that all of the songs fit seamlessly and immediately hooked you in. Many of the crowd seemed very well versed in all of Katy's set, singing along or mouthing the words, eyes closed and big smiles on their faces. It was nice to be reminded how euphoric a good gig and a a good crowd to be.

I was a fair way back from the stage and had a reasonably good view, apart from the inevitable incursions from the person who is always taller than you and plants themselves in your periphery. My buddy on this occasion was a bear of a man, at least 6'3" who was an explosion of facial hair and a man bun loosely atop his head, increasingly his height by another inch or so. He was given to random acts of arm waving (beer held firmly in the other), whilst I perfected a swaying Dad-dance that meant that we were alternating positions and I had a usually unbroken view of Katy and the band from thereon in. But who cares, when the music is this good?!

Katy's second and current album, Sound Of The Morning, got the lion's share of the 14-song set, with 8 songs featured. I was surprised that Game Of Cards wasn't included, but the other singles Howl, Talk Over Town and the mighty Alligator all got a look in. Katy switched guitars between songs (including an audible "Oh shit!" moment when she almost forgot) and her stage banter and band introductions were met with enthusiastic whoops and cheers. 

 

For a hometown gig and the first night of her current tour, it was an exciting and exhilarating experience. The band were really on form: even the more uptempo album songs were amped and cranked up to another level, faster, more frenetic in places, a wall of sound at times, with the flute, sax and trumpet all vying for pole position. In writing, it sounds like it could have fallen apart at any second, ramshackle and cacophonous but it absolutely wasn't. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing and the sound just tapped into something primal that found release in a crowd that were just absolutely up for every second of it. This is why I love going to gigs. Sometimes, when it just works, you get something that you can never experience from listening to the studio versions.

 

And then, it was over, with Katy announcing the final song, also the closing track of her current album, her cover of Willow's Song. Written by Paul Giovanni and recorded by Magnet for the soundtrack to classic horror film The Wicker Man, it's been covered many times in the past half-century - I've got numerous versions, including The Mock Turtles, Doves and The Go! Team. On stage, Katy kicks off with a minute or so of acapella before the album version's motorik groove kicks in and it all accelerates towards a rousing close. As the sounds subside, Katy and the band leave the stage.

 

A few minutes later, all seven are back on stage. "I don't usually do encores," says Katy but tonight is an exception with another, rather unexpected cover version. I won't reveal what it is here, for those who are going to an upcoming date. If you're not (and why not?) or can't resist knowing, here is a link to the original song, which I've also featured on this blog a couple of times.

Then it was all over and time to go home. It took over an hour to get back to the car and home, and I was still buzzing by the time I got home. Mrs. K was still up - as you will not have failed to notice, Thursday was a historic day for another reason - and I was bursting with enthusiastic recollections. The following day I was back at work and feeling like one of The Walking Dead, but it was absolutely worth it.

I was too far back in the crowd to even attempt to take photos (and Man Bun would undoubtedly have photobombed them all) but thanks to the power of Twitter, I was able to grab a couple of images of Katy and band on stage. The first is a cropped shot by Molly Payne, who was on the same side of the room as me, albeit a lot closer. The second is by Ashley Guise, who also kindly obliged with the setlist enabling me to pull together today's selection.

And so, having bought Return the following day, here is Katy J Pearson's set from Thursday night, minus the second encore. I've gone for the Yard Act remix of Miracle as front person James Smith adds vocals, adding a nice counterpoint to Katy's voice. The album version of Howl features Orlando Weeks (ex-The Maccabees) and was recently released as a single with a hilarious and brilliant video.

 

Katy J Pearson's tour continues this month and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I'm now working on trying to convince Clan K to come along next time she's in town. But this is one night that I will treasure. 

The previously scheduled post resumes tomorrow.

 

1) Take Back The Radio (Album Version) (2020)

2) Beautiful Soul (2020)

3) Confession (2022)

4) Miracle (Yard Act Remix) (2021)

5) Howl (Album Version ft. Orlando Weeks) (2022)

6) Sound Of The Morning (2022)

7) Storm To Pass (2022)

8) Alligator (2022)

9) Float (2022)

10) Fix Me Up (Album Version) (2020)

11) Talk Over Town (2022)

12) Tonight (Album Version) (2019)

13) Willow's Song (Cover of Magnet) (2022)

 

2020: Return: 1, 2, 10, 12

2021: Return (Remixes) EP: 4

2022: Sound Of The Morning: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13

 

And It Felt Just Like A Dream (50:50)