“Rock ‘n’ roll should be dangerous, unpredictable, and make you feel something… We wanted to bring back that energy that made music exciting in the first place”.

So says Sir Jizzwald of Pearl in the PR blurb that accompanies the latest release from the great man under the Love/Hate banner; A master self publicist and mythmaker, Pearl has always had a knack for blending the truth with fantasy, and this opening statement has a touch of both in it, almost like he ws trying to prove my point…

Punk Rock Fiesta! is only dangerous if your idea of a racy night out is attending the national link-up at your local Bingo Hall; In every other respect tracks like Over The Edge, fully committed performances from all concerned notwithstanding, are as comforting as an old pair of slippers and only dangerous if you’ve neglected to put new batteries in your pacemaker. But there is plenty of energy on display, of that there’s no doubt, especially on the schizoid, jagged rock n’roll of Didya Think You Could Fall In Love and the album’s superb standout cut, Wrath of Love, which is the only track here that really adds to the Pearl Canon and could easily have slotted on to his fabulous last album Hell, Ca.

Still, that said there’s nothing here that actively lets the side down, with Darren Householder playing some fine guitar in support of the main attraction throughout, and Pearl gives vent to all his various facets across the album, lending a nice air of variety to proceedings and proving that, at the end of the day and for all the chest-beating bravado and bluster, Ol’ Jizz is very far from being a one trick pony. If you’ve counted yourself as a fan in the past, then this is certainly an album you’ll want to get acquainted with.

Punk Rock Fiesta releases on March 1st