Stevie R. Pearce and the Hooligans - Major League Son of a Bitch (2021)

A foot in the gutter, the other on the sidewalk…

Better known, perhaps, (depending on whether you’ve just found him or not) for his endeavours in Jizzy Pearl’s latest incarnation of Love/Hate and his work in Warrior Soul, or as Original Hell Raiser of the Black Bullets, Stevie R. Pearce is an experienced performer, globally, locally and probably in your front room. If there’s a glam rock icon he hasn’t toured with, then Lord knows who they are. He has stood in the shadows, and at some point or another has probably given you the best night of your life – you just didn’t know who he was.

However, what is more pertinent to playing with these remaining icons, which is no mean feat in its own right – is the fact that in addition to all that work, Pearce is a songwriter in his own right and “Stevie R. Pearce And The Hooligans” is the result.

​His latest debut album was originally released in late 2017, but was re-issued on Cargo Records in March 2018, so people who stupidly missed it the first time around can revel in its glory – it is worth it.

​And it doesn’t do quite what you’d expect it to either. Given his history, you’d imagine that Pearce’s solo work would be sleazier than Donald Trump’s search history, but whilst there are elements of that (so there should be, by the way) it is evident that this is an avenue for the guitarist to flex some creative muscles of his own away from the day jobs. From start to finish it is a leopard-printed punk-tinged hard rock assault that is somewhere north of turbo-charged. Delivered with real venom and an undercurrent of violence – and yet all the while totally understands it is rock n roll and it should be fun. The first single ‘Bad Day’ caught the ears of Planet Rock, particularily The Hairy Bikers who heralded The Hooligans as the best band to come out of the south in a long time. Bad Day is still playlisted on the station.

Following some extensive DIY touring with the Hooligans, and a 5 week jaunt across 30 states of the USA opening the currently controversial yet highly anticipated “DIO RETURNS HOLOGRAM” Tour – the first of its kind, with Love/Hate which featured Dio’s former journeymen including Simon Wright (AC/DC), Craig Goldy, and Scott Warren. 2019 also saw the the release of the second single and video “Set My Soul On Fire”.

In December 2019, with a new line-up featuring ex Black Bullets Carl Donoghue and Lance Skybaby, and lifer Richard Jones, The Hooligans released “Rush of Blood to the Head” a single to mark the announcement that album 2 is on the way and set for release in September 2020. A further release “GIVE ME EVERYTHING: LIVE IN BLACKPOOL” was also issued. Recorded at the Waterloo Music Bar, supporting a sold out Massive Wagons show, it reached critical acclaim for the deliverance of “30 minutes of pure adrenaline”.

​Indicative of an artist that wants to express himself on his own terms, away from the shadows of others, his time in the spotlight, out of the shadows, is well spent.

​The self-proclaimed “King Of Winging It” isn’t re-inventing the wheel with misguided ideas of grandeur – but he is setting the fucker on fire and kicking it over a cliff.

Major League Son Of A Bitch is released worldwide via Off Ya Rocka on August 28th.