Pearl Charles at Omeara

Pearl Charles

Michael Rault

Omeara, 10 October 2024 

Amazing to see Pearl Charles again for the second time this year, this time in the beautiful Omeara! Plus, at this show we also got a fantastic preview of her upcoming new album too and as ever her band was on fire. For a disco queen, she sure knows how to rock!The few times I've been to Omeara has always been a magical experience so I was super excited when Charles announced a show there. While not quite as small as The Slaughtered Lamb, it's still an intimate venue with a picturesque stage and a great atmosphere, a perfect place for her to play.

Last time there was no support, but this time the guitarist in Charles' band (who also just happens to be her partner too), Michael Rault was announced to play a solo set. He arrived on stage looking very retro and cool, wearing double denim and looking like he came straight from Laurel Canyon in 1973.

You may not be able to tell from the photos, but for some reason he reminded me of Steven McDonald from Redd Kross, and funnily enough his music had a big power pop influence albeit with a country rock tinge. In fact, near the end of his set he even threw in a Big Star cover.

Despite playing without a full band, Rault managed to fill the room with his tunes and is truly a fantastic guitar player. I haven't listened to his albums before so I can't name the songs but they were definitely catchy and I'm looking forward to checking out his recorded output. At the very end he brought on the rest of Charles' band, including Pearl herself, to sing a song he told us he had written for Pearl, and it sounded great. He was definitely a fitting opener and I enjoyed his set a lot.

Even though we had a preview of her outfit when she came on and played guitar and sang with Rault on his closing song, Charles still looked incredible and every bit the star when she returned to the stage for her own set. Her outfit was a white, studded, fringed affair (or little ropes that looked like fringes) and my immediate thought upon seeing her was a young Emmylou Harris, and who wouldn't want to be compared to Emmylou Harris? This is the outfit she is wearing on the cover of her forthcoming album, Desert Queen, out next April, and given how many tunes she previewed from it, it felt very fitting indeed.

Last time we didn't get any songs at all from her debut album, Sleepless Dreamer, but this time she began with the title track which was a lovely surprise, although it was the sole song from that record. One day I hope to hear more from it because it's such a great album, but I understand completely that the emphasis would be on the last record and the forthcoming one, so no complains at all because they all sounded great.

Slipping into Sweet Sunshine Wine, the band were already in

full swing and their very 70s looking bassist already had a huge grin of his face, while Rault, swayed back and forth adding his guitar licks (the drummer reminded me of 1970-era Michael Clarke of The Byrds, so they all really did look the part). The pure poppy joy of this song just made me feel like I was experiencing the warmth of 70s California, even on a dreary London autumn day. But every song was a sunny treat.

The first new song came halfway through and was called Does This Song Sound Familiar? and with its driving rhythm and dreamy lyrics, it really conjures on the feel of the desert nights that inspired the new album. It made me really excited for the new record.

Another new song, In The Middle Of The Night, which saw Charles behind the keyboard, had a real Fleetwood Mac feel, bringing to mind Christine McVie at her grooviest. City Lights had a little bit more of the disco groove of her best singles and featured some cool guitar licks from Rault and some sultry vocals from Charles. The band jammed on this song to close the set and it sounded fantastic.

Charles and Rault returned by themselves for the encore, to give an acoustic version of the dreamy and plaintive Smoke In The Limousine. It reminded me of Judee Sill at her most hopeful.

The band weren't gone for long as they were back to end the show with the pure disco-ball wonderland of Only For Tonight, which had the whole crowd dancing and the band smiling throughout, it was, again, pure joy.

What an absolute delight to see Pearl Charles and her spectacular band again. She really shimmers like a star and it's baffling to me that she isn't huge. But all the better for us who are in on the secret because we get to experience wonderful, intimate but absolutely exhilarating shows like this.