Mickey Pearce Headlines EXIT

Mickey Pearce is an exciting and recent addition to Loefah’s Swamp 81 label. Swamp 81 has been instrumental in the development of house music over the last few years, and Mickey Pearce as a member of the label does not disappoint. His sound is distinctive, bassy, at times heavy, and always interesting. Therefore, I was especially intrigued when I heard that he would be making his Exeter debut, and not only that, but he would be debuting in none other than Mama Stones: part live music venue, part Mexican restaurant.

I first encountered Mickey Pearce just shortly after he had been added to the impressive Swamp lineup, performing at Outlook festival at the end of this Summer. Like many of the other Swamp performers, he is currently at the top of his game, delivering some really interesting tunes like Up West and Instructions, which show a dark but engaging type of house. His first EP definitely caught everyone’s attention in March; however, he has gone on to do even more atmospheric music since then.

Mickey Pearce graced Exeter with his presence on the 27th November. Although many were unsure of how Mama Stones would serve as a venue for a house DJ, it was still an exciting atmosphere when we first arrived, with all of the windows blacked out in preparation and an impressive sound system at the ready. EXIT were running this event and they excelled themselves by utilising the whole of this interesting venue, making sure it was appropriate for the kind of music Mickey Pearce makes. Although it is small, I felt like the size of Mama Stones somehow elevated the atmosphere for everybody, and the venue soon filled up quickly to full capacity. It definitely worked as a venue, yet I feel that a DJ such as Mickey Pearce may have benefited from a bigger venue, merely so that more tickets could have been sold and more people could have enjoyed his amazing live set.

Mickey Pearce himself was on brilliant form. He played an impressive set, with a mixture of his earlier bassy tunes and some interesting remixes. Up West, Jam Interlude, Denzel Interlude, Ten Thousand Yen, and various other heavy tracks all featured. The vibe throughout the night remained consistently excitable and heavy, and Mickey Pearce’s particular brand of house allowed for a grimy night to really ensue, which is something that Exeter unfortunately doesn’t experience often enough.

I hope that EXIT continue to bring these kind of nights to Exeter, and to encourage up-and-coming DJs to continue to keep this exciting new house scene alive. I may even go as far as to say that his performance in Exeter was better than that of Outlook, so here is to hoping Mickey Pearce returns to the city.