It seems Josh T. Pearson has been languishing in the wilderness for too long, if his scraggly wild-man appearance is anything to go by. In 2001 his band, Lift to Experience, released their only LP, the haunting, enthralling concept album ‘The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads’, to quiet acclaim. Shortly afterwards, they split, for reasons unclear. An introspective, depressive sort, Pearson promptly disappeared off the radar.
It’s only now that he has re-emerged, with his first studio work in a decade. Pearson has been touring sporadically around Europe for a few years, playing his own line of melancholy country/folk to tiny German pubs, “singing for my supper” as he told a journalist in 2007. To the surprise of many of his fans, a deal with Mute records has finally produced a debut LP and a fully-fledged UK tour, which culminates in this special show at Islington’s Union Chapel, where he will be accompanied by a string quartet.
As enticing as that sounds, it’s not like he needs orchestral backing - ‘Last Of The Country Gentleman’ is a stunning LP, overflowing with agonisingly gorgeous melodies, every note aching with heartbreak and world-weariness. There is a sweetness and emotional honesty to Pearson’s music which is very rare, and it’s a sound well-matched to the Chapel’s intimate acoustics. This is a show that promises to be heart-wrenching and memorable.
Josh T Pearson appears at the Union Chapel in Islington on May 11th. Tickets £12.50.
