Review: Matt Pearce & The Mutiny – Soul Food Served Live
Matt Pearce (July 4th, 2025)
Reviewer – Chris O’Connor
As a lifelong devotee of rock, a fervent admirer of funk, and a soul aficionado to boot, few things thrill me more than discovering a band that fuses all three genres with effortless flair. Enter Matt Pearce & The Mutiny—a group whose musical alchemy hits that sweet spot between swagger, sophistication, and unfiltered joy. Their new live album, ‘Soul Food Served Live’, captures the band in full flight, radiating the kind of energy that turns a great performance into a truly memorable one.
Matt Pearce, the charismatic frontman and stellar guitarist, leads the charge alongside the formidable talents of saxophonist Pete Back, keyboardist Chris Burgham, bassist Ghost, drummer Ollie Dixon, and vocalist Dahlia Sherrington.
From the outset, it’s clear this is a band that grooves with sass, soul, and technical finesse. The ten tracks on offer are tight, vibrant, and utterly infectious. The set opens with the raucous ‘Got A Thing Going On’—a hip-swinging barnstormer that sets the tone with blistering intent. It’s bold, brassy, and impossible not to move to.
Following that is the irresistibly funky ‘Never Get Away From Love’, which struts and pulses with nonstop groove. Before you can catch your breath, the band plunges into the slow-burning majesty of ‘All The Gods’, a sultry and hypnotic number that lingers long after it ends. Strangely, it evokes the moody brilliance of Deep Purple’s ‘Come Taste The Band’—and I mean that as a high compliment. Pearce’s guitarwork here is nothing short of sublime.
‘Promised Land’ keeps the soulful momentum going—a funky, feel-good jam that radiates sunshine and swagger. Then comes the epic ‘Bring It All To Me’, a smoky, elegant number that wouldn’t feel out of place in the Gov’t Mule catalogue. It’s expansive, textured, and gives the band room to stretch out musically and emotionally.
‘From Here To The Moon’ is pure dancefloor dynamite, a swinging, joyous number that could turn any patio into a party. Next up is ‘A Better Way’, which I absolutely adore. Think retro-funk-rock reimagined for the modern era—glorious stuff. The tempo kicks up again with the rollicking ‘King Of The World’, driven by Pete Back’s gritty, wailing sax—an exhilarating ride from start to finish.
The funk dial is cranked all the way up with the fantastically filthy ‘Scarecrowing’. Here, Matt channels his inner Stevie Ray Vaughan with a vocal and guitar performance that’s downright electric. His fretwork is dazzling, unleashing sonic fireworks that had me grinning from ear to ear.
The set closes with a bold, swaggering cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well’. While I might have preferred an original track to close out this triumph of an album, their take is fiery, flamboyant, and undeniably fun. A minor quibble in an otherwise spectacular set.
If you haven’t yet encountered Matt Pearce & The Mutiny, now is the time. ‘Soul Food Served Live’ is a joyous, high-octane celebration of everything that makes rock, funk, and soul so exhilarating. Miss them at your peril—they’re nothing short of magnificent.
Tracklist:
- Got A Thing Going On
- Never Get Away From Love
- All The Gods
- Promised Land
- Bring It All To me
- From Here To The Moon
- A Better Way
- King Of The World
- Scarecrowing
- Oh Well
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