Live Review: Katy J Pearson blesses Newcastle with five-star grace and Arancini
Fate is a funny old gorgeous beast. Roughly a third of the way through her performance, Katy J Pearson boldly and profoundly called out a man whose arsehole had suddenly grown jealous of his mouth for the amount of shit it was loudly extolling. Only for the song to reappear in its rightful place amid the encore and render my girlfriend’s face a Ganges Delta of streaked mascara as the lilting tones of a sumptuous performer bathed us all in a luscious lather of which we were not deserving. To dearly beloved Katy J Pearson and the fateful gobshite, I say thank you.
With Arancini balls continually being offered up in thanks by a fan with a culinary bent, and a Lothario-like fellow appreciatively proclaiming his love throughout, all while a dinosaur was held aloft by another party, these personal corroborations are a sign of how much her tunes transcend into people’s lives. These might be pop perfect melodies, but they come with a pointed visceral edge.
Over the course of the fast-paced show, she offered up a smattering of her stellar back catalogue. Without much pause, Pearson and her band breezed through opening bangers like ‘Take Back the Radio’, heavier turns with the head-bobbing ‘Alligator’, and moments of contemplation with ‘Storm to Pass’. In any realm she was welcome, as she offered up a complete performance brimmed with nuance and naturalism.
The crown of it all was a singular voice (in every sense). Her signing seemingly came from the stomach throughout. There is enough power in this natural prowess to pry open an oyster from a hundred paces, let alone wobble a glass. It’s a voice that packs a wallop but not the sort that’ll knock your head off, there’s somehow more of a comforting quality to it, like a warm fan or some other blanketing balm.
It’s not just her voice that proves naturalistic either. Even with a stand-in guitarist, the band seem to unspool these melodies with the seamless ease of bird song. Flowing into one another like milk into tea, there is craft, cohesion and quiet confidence on display here. For band and audience alike, this doles out a dose of joy and assurance.
All in all, Katy J Pearson and her superb musicians did what live music can do best: it offered up an hour or two of cocooned beauty where the world outside of the Cluny was turned off while real-life unfurled therein. The wattage in the room was amplified as sumptuous pop made us all that little bit more beautiful for a while, thanks to the deity of Katy extolling a sermon of grace on stage.
If you get the chance, then you must check her out. You can see her remaining live dates below.
Katy J Pearson ‘Sound of the Morning’ tour dates:
