Local singer-songwriter Riley Pearce spent the majority of the first half of this year in America on exchange. Saturday night saw Pearce and his band play their first headlining show since his return to Australia and Perth. Those of you who follow Pearce on Facebook are no doubt already be aware that his time overseas was not spent idly, with visits to SXSW, songs getting written and gigs getting played. Saturday’s gig was not only a chance to get the band back together, so to speak, but also to test out these new songs in front of a home crowd and with the band.
Opening proceedings was Kat Wilson, a four-piece who are relative newcomers to the scene, only coming together as a band late last year. There were a few nagging technical issues that sneaked in throughout the set, but they never really detracted from the band’s performance as a whole. One of the main highlights for me was the vocals, Wilson has a beautiful clear and bright vocal, and there were some great harmonies thrown around as well. It was a good all round performance, and really my only niggling criticism was that occasionally the drums seemed a bit overpowering at times, but that’s not necessarily down to the band.
Up next was Indigo, albeit with a slight personnel change, with Kat Wilson sitting in for David Petchell on bass. For the most part it was an uptempo set, with the bands upbeat folk-rockish instrumentation juxtaposing nicely with their slightly darker lyrics. Again, one of the highlights were the vocals, with frontman Chris Kinna giving a great performance, there was some nice harmonising as well from guitarist Sam Jackson. It was a solid performance all round, the band were tight, and certainly seemed to be enjoying their time on stage, with Jackson certainly seeming to get into it.
Before Saturday, I’d only ever seen Pearce play solo acoustic sets, generally in support slots. Saturday gave me my first glimpse of Pearce as both a headliner and as band-leader, two roles he seemed to take to with an easy confidence. The evening’s performance was largely about showcasing and road testing many of the new songs he’s amassed from his time in America.
“Brave”, a song written for his younger brother, was an early highlight and one that many listeners will have connected to. “Roskie” is perhaps my favourite of the new songs, and was given a brilliant full band overhaul, turning it into this brilliant rootsy rock song that’ll be the perfect soundtrack for those summer road trips. Other highlights included the exquisite “Bryanna” and a brilliant cover of the Pheonix track “Lizstomania” as chosen by Pearce’s Facebook followers. It was a great intimate performance, with the band’s arrangements bringing an extra little something new and different to the new songs.
Pearce is a no doubt fantastic songwriter, songs like “Bryanna” and “Brave” are testament to that, but he’s also a charismatic performer, either as a solo artist or with the band beside him. It seems so obvious to me that it’s a matter of when, not if, big things will happen for Pearce.
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